Liverpool have appointed Julian Ward as sporting director, filling the vacancy left when Richard Hughes walked away earlier this month after a little over two years in the job. Ward, 45, has done this before at Anfield, and the fact that the club went back to him rather than outside says plenty about what they were looking for.
Liverpool did talk to external candidates. Ward was still the standout. One source described him as "calm, well-spoken and with a clear opinion and vision", which reads like a deliberate contrast to a summer in which the football department changed shape more than once.
A man who has barely left
Ward joined Liverpool in 2012 as European scouting manager covering Spain and Portugal. He was promoted to assistant sporting director in 2020 and took over from Michael Edwards two years after that, only for the club to confirm by November 2022 that he would leave at the end of the season. He was back by 2024, this time as Fenway Sports Group's technical director, appointed when FSG made Edwards their chief executive of football. For the past two years his brief has been player development pathways and the academy.
So the man now running Liverpool's football operations has been inside the building, in one form or another, for most of the last fourteen years. "Incredibly excited" was his own phrase for taking the role on again.
What FSG said
FSG president Mike Gordon framed the appointment around familiarity. "We are delighted that Julian has agreed to take over leadership of our football operations department at this juncture, primarily because it is a role for which we believe he is the ideal candidate given his extensive experience of the football industry in general and Liverpool Football Club in particular," he said.
Gordon went further and tied the decision to the dugout: the knowledge Ward brings will "enhance our football operations, while also ensuring Andoni Iraola is provided with the support he requires as he continues to make such a positive impression as head coach".
The in-tray
Ward's first spell in the chair came under Jurgen Klopp, and the signings made on his watch were Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. He also had a hand in Salah's 2022 contract renewal, flying out to see the forward on holiday to get it over the line, and his working relationship with the agent Jorge Mendes helped Liverpool land Diogo Jota.
The jobs waiting for him now are mostly contractual. Rio Ngumoha has turned 18 and needs tying down on a long-term deal. Decisions are due on whether Alisson and Virgil van Dijk are offered fresh terms before their current agreements run out this summer. Last time round, Ward left twelve months into a three-year deal; the head coach role has been structured differently under Arne Slot and now Iraola, which should leave him with more say than he had under Klopp.
Appointment facts: Julian Ward, 45, becomes Liverpool sporting director for the second time, having held the role in 2022-23. He replaces Richard Hughes, who left in September after just over two years. Ward first joined the club in 2012 and has been FSG's technical director since 2024. Liverpool's head coach is Andoni Iraola.
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