Liverpool have appointed Julian Ward as their sporting director for a second time, filling the vacancy created by Richard Hughes’s departure to Al-Hilal. Ward returns to a role he held for one season in 2022-23, having spent the past two years as technical director for Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owners.
The search for Hughes’s successor was swift and was led by the FSG president, Mike Gordon. Hughes left Anfield for the Saudi Pro League after two and a half years at the club, departing once the summer transfer window had closed. Gordon, who had resumed the day-to-day running of Liverpool following Hughes’s exit, regards Ward’s extensive knowledge of the club and of squad planning as invaluable, and Ward remained highly regarded by FSG throughout his time away from the sporting director’s post.
Ward, 45, has worked for Liverpool in various capacities across the past 14 years, including as European scouting manager, assistant sporting director and sporting director. He replaced Michael Edwards in the role in 2022 but told FSG only months into the job that he wished to step away for personal reasons. Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Núñez were all signed during that first spell, although the then manager Jürgen Klopp had a greater say on transfers after Edwards’s departure.
His reappointment offers a measure of continuity at a time of upheaval in the Liverpool hierarchy. Alongside Hughes, Michael Edwards — the former chief executive of football at FSG — is exiting this year, while the owners are in the process of selling a 38% stake in the club to 1892 Holdings for £2bn. That consortium, fronted by Amit Bhatia and including the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, holds an option for a full takeover should FSG decide to sell.
As FSG’s technical director, Ward had oversight of the global talent strategy that has seen Liverpool sign several highly rated young prospects this year. In his new position he will lead the club’s football operation alongside the assistant sporting director David Woodfine, chief scout Barry Hunter, FSG’s director of football development Pedro Marques and Andoni Iraola’s senior leadership team.