Exclusive: A move for ex Liverpool DoF with the midas touch Michael Edwards should excite West Ham and he’s the perfect fit.
West Ham fans will be aware big changes are afoot ahead of the summer transfer window.
Hammers News reported on claims from Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg earlier this week that majority stakeholder David Sullivan is leading a push to bring in a top level Director of Football at West Ham.
The reporter confirmed the process to appoint a DoF alongside Mark Noble this summer is already well underway with five candidates in the running.
One of them is former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards.
The ex Reds man has been taking a well earned break after leaving Liverpool following a hugely successful decade at Anfield.
Now he is being linked with a return to the Premier League with the Hammers.
The move for ex Liverpool DoF with the midas touch Edwards should excite West Ham and he’s the perfect fit.
That’s according to Liverpool expert and journalist James Brooke of Rousing the Kop.
We sat down with Brooke to get his well-informed take from on Edwards. And we got the full lowdown on what West Ham can expect if they hire the man many see as the brains behind Liverpool’s return to the elite during the Jurgen Klopp era.
And it’s fair to say, he would be a sensational appointment with Brooke declaring West Ham would ‘never pay over the odds for a player again’.
What can West Ham fans expect should they hire Michael Edwards?
With Michael Edwards at the helm you can kind of expect the unexpected in the transfer market. Under his guidance, Liverpool would often pluck unexpected, sometimes unfashionable signings out of the air and turn them into gold. Over time, fans learnt to trust whatever Edwards suggested, as he had a near 100% success rate. His data-led methods have some critics, but he’s as meticulous as it gets as a sporting director. In contrast to some of his peers, he’s also something of a mysterious, almost silent operator which is exactly what you want.
Who are the standout players he was instrumental in bringing to Liverpool?
Think of a top Liverpool player of the last few years, and Edwards was the man ultimately behind getting them to Anfield. From Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and the masterful £8m signing of Andy Robertson. Edwards oversaw a remarkable hit-rate in the transfer market.
Could you tell us a bit about when and why he left and what he has been doing since?
The exact reasons behind Edwards leaving have never been fully revealed. More than likely it was simply down to him looking for a change of scenery after 10 years in different roles. However there have been some theories that he left having clashed with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders on certain matters. Klopp has slowly grown more powerful in terms of recruitment, and the decision, for example, to give Jordan Henderson a new contract in 2020 was seen as being possibly at odds with his data-led approach.
Publicly, Edwards has been doing nothing since leaving last summer. There were some reports that he was helping out successor Julian Ward as he found his feet and he’s been linked with joining all sorts of clubs since, but nothing has ever come of it.
One of the main reasons behind the decision to bring in a DoF at West Ham is that the board feel money has been wasted on transfers in recent seasons. With that in mind, do you think Edwards would be a good fit?
If you’re looking for a sporting director to work on a budget, then Edwards is definitely your man. Although he did occasionally spend big at Liverpool, his main remit was always to get value for money. Liverpool can’t afford to be a Manchester City in the market and have to make sure that transfers were as sure a thing as is possible. Edwards had a remarkable record of doing just that.
Even when he did spend big on the likes of Alisson and Van Dijk, he got the value Liverpool were looking for. Obviously, he’d have a smaller budget at West Ham, but their spending hasn’t been too dissimilar to Liverpool over recent years. As a result, I think he’d fit in brilliantly. You’ll never over pay for a player again!
What was his relationship like with Klopp, what can the West Ham manager expect with Edwards above him?
For most of Edwards’ time as sporting director, he and Klopp seemed to have the perfect balance to their working relationship. Edwards would identify the players to fit Klopp’s system, and the manager would coach them to become even better.
Edwards is someone who always likes to stay out of the limelight and for years everyone seemed to be completely on the same page. As I mentioned, this changed a little over time as Jurgen’s voice seemingly became louder in the recruitment process. But neither man has ever publicly acknowledged any souring of relations.
He’d need to have assurances he’d be left to do things completely his own way but he seems like a guy who enjoys a challenge. Edwards would be a class appointment for West Ham.
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