Julian Ward reportedly returned to Liverpool after being named their technical director by Michael Edwards, the CEO of football at FSG. Since it became apparent in January that Liverpool needed to replace outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp and former sports director Jorg Schmadtke, the team has been undergoing a significant change. The first task for FSG was to replace Schmadtke, and they set about re-appointing Edwards right away. Edwards had left Liverpool in June 2022 and had not been with a club since. Edwards was hesitant to become a sporting director in football once more, but FSG persuaded him to return to Liverpool by offering him a more significant position in their setup.
Following his summer departure from Premier League opponents AFC Bournemouth, Richard Hughes was swiftly appointed as FSG’s new sporting director. The 44-year-old was named CEO of Football in March. At Liverpool, Edwards and Ward reconcile. According to a report from James Pearce of The Athletic, Edwards has signed Ward, and Arne Slot is apparently expected to take over for Klopp. Prior to departing the Premier League team in March 2023 with his colleague, Ward served as Liverpool’s sporting director for a brief period of time after serving as the team’s technical director during Edwards’ first tenure at Anfield.