By Frank Dalleres
Fenway Sports Group plans to buy a sister club to Liverpool FC after luring former sporting director Michael Edwards back to the organisation in a new high-powered role.
FSG announced the return of Edwards as CEO of football for the US-based group, which also owns baseball’s Boston Red Sox, ice hockey franchise the Pittsburgh Penguins and has just invested in a new arm of golf’s PGA Tour.
Among his responsibilities will be helping Liverpool to identify a successor to Jurgen Klopp in the summer and “supporting the growth of FSG in global football through additional investment and acquisition”.
“It was vital for me that, if I did return, it had to be with renewed vigour and energy. In practice, this means having fresh challenges and opportunities,” said Edwards.
“As such, one of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organization. I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.”
Edwards, 44, made his name by helping Klopp return Liverpool to the top of English and European football thanks in part to smart signings such as Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker.
He left Anfield in 2022 and held talks with Manchester United and Chelsea before agreeing to return to Merseyside in his new, expanded role.
“Michael is one of the most formidable executive talents in world football and John, Tom, and I are absolutely thrilled to have secured his services for our business,” said FSG president Mike Gordon.
“It was clear when we initially reached out to him that a broader scope would be a key motivating factor for any potential return to the industry. In this regard – and many others – his ambitions matched ours.
“As an organization we constantly strive for improvement in our football operation, whether that be identifying fresh opportunities externally or areas for enhancement internally, and there is no better person to lead that ongoing process.”
Edwards will take over the running of Liverpool’s day-to-day operations from Gordon, with a new sporting director, who will in turn identify a new manager, among his priorities.
