Liverpool have appointed Julian Ward as the club’s new sporting director, handing the role to a man who has already held it once before at Anfield. Ward, 45, replaces Richard Hughes, who spent just over two years in the position before leaving in September.
Ward said he was “incredibly excited” to take on the job for a second time. His association with Liverpool stretches back to 2012, when he arrived as European scouting manager for Spain and Portugal, and he was promoted to assistant sporting director in 2020. Two years later he succeeded Michael Edwards, although by November 2022 it had been confirmed that he would leave at the end of that season. He was brought back in 2024 as Fenway Sports Group’s technical director when the club’s owners made Edwards their chief executive of football, and for the past two years he has overseen player development pathways and the academy. Bar a spell between the summers of 2023 and 2024, he has been at the club since 2012.
FSG president Mike Gordon said: “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. The knowledge and expertise he brings will only 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.”
Ward’s first spell in charge came under Jurgen Klopp, when he oversaw the signings of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. He was also influential in Mohamed Salah’s contract renewal in 2022, flying out to see the forward on holiday to seal the deal, and his relationship with the agent Jorge Mendes helped Liverpool in their pursuit of Diogo Jota. The appointment is designed to bring stability after a summer of transition, and while the club did speak to external candidates, Ward was seen as the stand-out choice. One source described him as “calm, well-spoken and with a clear opinion and vision”.
There is no shortage of work waiting for him. It includes securing Rio Ngumoha on a long-term deal now that he is 18, and determining whether new contracts are offered to Alisson and Virgil van Dijk before their current agreements expire this summer. As FSG’s technical director, Ward played a part in Liverpool’s push to recruit younger talent, and he has a good relationship with Gordon, who oversees the day-to-day running of the club.
Under Klopp, Ward left 12 months into a three-year deal, but he should have more of a say this time given how the head coach role has been structured under both Arne Slot and his successor Andoni Iraola. Whether the appointment proves successful only time will tell, but in the here and now he looks a more-than-sensible choice.