Michael Edwards, for the second time in his career, has called it quits on his time at Liverpool.
The man once infamously referred to as a “laptop guru” by the Daily Mail following the departure of Brendan Rodgers initially left Liverpool back in 2022. After two years away from the Merseyside club, he returned to fill the void left by the rather sudden exit of Jurgen Klopp as manager.
FSG carved out a new role for Edwards, making him CEO of Football. To tempt him back, the owners agreed to adopting a multi-club model and they made him the man to oversee it all. He was given free rein to assemble a team he felt was right for the Reds.
Julian Ward and David Woodfine returned, Pedro Marques was poached from Benfica while Richard Hughes, a long-term friend of Edwards from their time at Portsmouth, was given the Sporting Director role at Anfield.
Mark Burchill, another former Pompey alumni and an ally of Hughes’ from Bournemouth, and Craig McKee also made the jump from the Vitality Stadium to Anfield.
Marques was previously at Manchester City and crossed paths with Ward.
Edwards insulated himself with long-term friends. On one hand, it made a lot of sense. Liverpool had a lot to do at the time and not much time to do it in. They needed a new Sporting Director, a new manager and new backroom staff.
The turnaround time was quick so turning to people you know and trust makes the process much simpler, much quicker and much easier.
In his first season back, Liverpool won the Premier League title, something they’d failed to do during his absence. It strengthened the idea that Edwards was pivotal to the club’s success, even in his new, detached role.
But without a second club to help manage, Edwards was still hands on with the Reds. On countless occasions, we heard how he stepped in to help with transfers, in and out of the club.
He reportedly played a key role in the £125million arrival of Alexander Isak.
His departure was both expected and a surprise. The expectation was that he’d leave once his current deal expired at the end of the 2026/27 campaign. The club had pivoted away from the multi-club model angle, thus making Edwards’ role redundant.
He was the CEO of Football but football, under the FSG umbrella, was just Liverpool FC.
The senior leadership team at Anfield was severely bloated by the lack of a second club. The feeling was he’d leave, along with Hughes, after seeing out the final 12 months of his existing contract.
After all, the Reds needed to finish the rebuild they started last summer while bedding in a new manager after Arne Slot was dismissed and Andoni Iraola was hired.
It was abrupt but also overdue.
In the statement confirming his departure, Edwards said: "Liverpool is in a strong position, with outstanding people, a clear direction and the foundations in place for continued success.
"When I returned, I was excited not only by the opportunity to help guide Liverpool through an important period of transition, but also by the chance to help shape FSG's wider football ambitions.
"While that broader project ultimately evolved differently to how we had originally envisaged, I am proud of the work our team undertook in presenting ownership with a broad range of thoughtful and well-developed options for the future."
He leaves with another Premier League title on his CV, yes, but his second stint has been messy, at best.
The new season kicks off in a little under seven weeks and Liverpool currently need a right-back and two attackers. There’s a world in which they also need to add a centre-back, a goalkeeper and a midfielder depending on departures, despite already bringing in Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz.
That is, once again, a significant turnaround.
You also have to factor in the contract situation with Curtis Jones, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk all into the final 12 months of their existing deals while there’s uncertainty over the future of Alexis Mac Allister.
Saying there’s a lot to do would be an understatement.
On paper, Liverpool have a decent squad and are financially healthy. But as detailed above, there’s a lot to do and so much uncertainty tied to a lot of players.
Is there a clear direction? A new manager has just been hired. There’s a lot of turnaround behind the scenes. Slot wanted a smaller squad. Iraola wants a larger squad. Slot was passive. Iraola is aggressive.
To bridge the gap between the two managers, there’s going to be a lot of changes to the playing squad. That muddies the waters. That doesn’t necessarily point in a clear direction, does it?
You can debate it, yes, but, right now, do you believe Iraola has the squad needed to execute his game plan properly? If not, that isn’t a clear direction. If you have to layer your answer to justify something, it isn’t clear and straightforward.
And foundations for future success? If Alisson doesn’t leave this summer he’s gone at the end of the season. Giorgi Mamardashvili, Alisson’s long-term successor and Hughes’ first signing, seemingly wants out because of the situation at Anfield.
A new right-back is needed. The centre-back situation is confusing with Van Dijk having to partner one of three options; an injury prone and unreliable Joe Gomez, an inexperienced Giovanni Leoni who is coming back from an ACL injury or Jacquet, a 21-year-old who is yet to play in the Premier League.
There are going to be some teething issues as both Leoni and Jacquet develop in the short-term and once they’ve settled, Van Dijk will be gone.
In midfield, two of the four starting options could well depart over the next 12 months. In attack, there’s a case for two more senior options to be added to this squad.
The foundations are a little shaky, at best, no?
Some people say the loss of Edwards is a disaster and it’ll set the club back. That the 47-year-old is the best of the best in his role and FSG should’ve done whatever to keep him around.
And while you can appreciate what Edwards put into place first-time around, has his reputation gotten a little out of hand? Has he justified his return?
The failure to add a second club to FSG’s portfolio wasn’t his fault. On paper, his return was a success. Liverpool won the title. They signed Florian Wirtz and Isak. He played a significant part in that.
But he also played a part in the Reds scraping Champions League football last season. You can’t have credit for the success without taking some of the responsibility for the failures.
Is he really leaving Liverpool in a better position? If you had to answer right now, how many would say yes?
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