Liverpool officially appoints Ward as sporting director, a return to the methods that worked

Liverpool officially appoints Ward as sporting director. Julian Ward, 45, succeeds Richard Hughes, who had held the position for a little over two years before leaving the club in September.

This is no discovery for Liverpool. Ward had already held this role during the 2022-23 season, before leaving twelve months ahead of the end of a three-year contract. In the meantime, he had returned to the club in 2024 as technical director for Fenway Sports Group, in charge of player development and the academy, when the owners appointed Michael Edwards as chief executive of football.

The Julian Ward profile

Ward joined Liverpool in 2012 as head of European recruitment for Spain and Portugal, before being promoted to assistant sporting director in 2020, then sporting director two years later, succeeding Michael Edwards. During that previous spell under Jurgen Klopp, he oversaw the signings of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. He also played a direct role in the renewal of Mohamed Salah's contract in 2022, travelling in person to meet him while on holiday, and his relationship with agent Jorge Mendes helped facilitate the arrival of Diogo Jota.

According to the BBC, Liverpool had consulted external candidates before deciding, but Ward reportedly stood out as the clear choice. One unidentified source described him to the British outlet as 'calm, composed, with a clear opinion and vision'.

Asked about his appointment, Ward said he was 'incredibly excited' to take on the role. Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group, welcomed his return: 'We are delighted that Julian has agreed to take charge of our football operations department at this particular moment, primarily because we believe this is a role for which he is the ideal candidate, given his extensive experience of football in general and of Liverpool Football Club in particular. The knowledge and expertise he brings can only strengthen our football operations, while also ensuring Andoni Iraola gets the support he needs as he continues to make such a positive impression as first-team manager.'

Ward's first tasks are already known. He will need to secure a long-term contract for Rio Ngumoha, now 18 years old, and decide on the futures of Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, whose current contracts expire this summer.