How Jurgen Klopp ally pushed FSG toward Jorg Schmadtke appointment

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Jorg Schmadtke’s appointment as Liverpool’s next sporting director will have raised brows in both Germany and England.

With the Premier League season having drawn to an end, a big summer now awaits the Reds – along with a long wait for fans of the club until the 2023/24 season.

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It’s not just bingo fans can potentially expect some big prizes from this summer, of course, with Schmadtke’s appointment looking an astute one for the club and its hopes of landing a top alternative target to Jude Bellingham.

The former goalkeeper, whose reputation as a gruff operator precedes him, was admittedly not expected to return from retirement so quickly, nor were the Merseysiders quite expected to make this kind of addition to the backroom staff.

Still, it seems a recommendation from a close ally of Jurgen Klopp in Marc Kosicke (his advisor) went a long way with Fenway Sports Group.

“We’re not that close to each other. We were in the Bundesliga at the same time. He as a coach, me as sporting director, we know each other, but I know his advisor Marc Kosicke better,” the former Wolfsburg man was quoted as saying by The Athletic.

“He maintains a good exchange with the owners of Liverpool FC. When the current sporting director announced that he wanted to quit for personal reasons, Marc told them: ‘If you are looking for an older and experienced manager for the transfer period, you might want to take a look at Jorg Schmadtke’.

“The co-operation is initially scheduled to last three months. If we take a liking to each other, it can extend beyond the transfer period.”

Many will be watching the new relationship quite closely given it will represent a considerably fresh dynamic for a sporting director used to holding more power in his home country.

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Don’t expect Schmadtke to be a yes-man outside of Germany

It’s already a positive sign that the 59-year-old has welcomed Klopp being the man who ‘sets the priorities’.

That being said, no one should be expecting Schmadtke to be a yes-man away from what is familiar territory in the Bundesliga.

The former sports executive has built a reputation in Germany for speaking his mind on transfers – even if it regularly gets him into conflict.

As far as Liverpool are concerned, however, that’s a trait we should be welcoming with open arms in light of how a similar level of friction between Jurgen Klopp and ex-sporting director Michael Edwards yielded superb results.

Mo Salah is often nodded to as a prime example of how the Englishman’s interference benefitted the club, with the former Mainz head coach having been previously keen on now Borussia Dortmund wide man Julian Brandt.

That’s not to suggest that Schmadtke will find Liverpool the next Egyptian King but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility to imagine our new sporting director landing us some hard-working, value signings in the market who can restore some much-needed grit and determination to our midfield department.

We know Alexis Mac Allister, at this point in time, is the most likely man to first step through the doors of the AXA training centre and would represent a superb start to the window.

The Argentine effectively brings everything we’d be looking for from future additions to the squad; positional versatility, durability, sound character, and international pedigree (having played a pivotal role in Argentina’s World Cup win).

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