Liverpool are seeing their third major exit within the last couple of weeks as Ian Graham departs the club. The Reds will struggle to cope.
News broke on Thursday that Julian Ward is leaving Liverpool. The sporting director only took over from Michael Edwards in the summer but will take a break from football at the end of the season.
It’s a major blow for the club. Ward was their succession plan for Edwards and Liverpool certainly didn’t expect a sole year out of him. Replacing him will be incredibly difficult, even if Jurgen Klopp is reportedly calm about the situation.
However, Ward wasn’t the only departure announced on Thursday. Per the Athletic, Ian Graham has resigned as Liverpool’s head of research. He was apparently close with Edwards and Ward, while Melissa Reddy claims he was regarded as ‘the best in the business’.
Losing both creates a lot of confusion, then. Two of the key figures in Liverpool’s acclaimed recruitment team will depart in 2023 and replacing them will be incredibly difficult. And that’s not even the end of it.
David Ornstein explained two weeks ago that Mike Gordon, essentially FSG’s man on the ground at Liverpool, has taken a step back. He’s been at the forefront of the club for over a decade but is now busy trying to find investment.
Liverpool lose Ian Graham and more
How do you deal with that? Liverpool have lost three of their key behind-the-scenes figures, even if two will still see out the season. But things will look very different next season for Klopp.
Essentially, his job changes. New people means new ways of doing things and Klopp will have to adjust to that. Importantly, Liverpool will make sure he plays an integral part in restructuring the recruitment process – something that feels like an absolute must in order to create continuity.
All of this at once is troubling for Liverpool and more may come. After all, the entire ownership could change in 2023.
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