‘A candidate’: Journalist claims Liverpool could hire former Arsenal man to replace Julian Ward

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool could hire Sven Mislintat to replace Julian Ward, says Florian Plettenberg. He had a spell with Arsenal.

Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg believes Liverpool are looking at Sven Mislintat to replace Julian Ward. The latter announced he would step down as the Reds’ sporting director at the end of the season, after just one year in charge.

“[Mislintat] is a candidate in order to replace Ward as a Sporting Director at Liverpool in summer 2023!” Plettenberg wrote on Twitter. “No concrete negotiations yet but he‘s open for Liverpool.

“Relation to [Jurgen] Klopp still brilliant. They have worked together in Dortmund (08-15).”

And that latter line might be the key here. Mislintat worked as a scout during Klopp’s time at Borussia Dortmund – a massively successful time for the club. That kind of understanding could be exactly what Liverpool are looking for.

Liverpool could hire Sven Mislintat

Ward leaving Liverpool is a massive blow. He was supposed to bring continuity after Michael Edwards left the club this year, after all. Ward had worked as Edwards’ assistant sporting director for a year and had been at Anfield for a long time.

Thus when Edwards did leave, Liverpool had a natural replacement. Someone who knew exactly what the club needed and could claim a solid relationship with Klopp and his plans.

Given Ward only took over in the summer, there hasn’t been anything like enough time to groom a similar replacement. His exit is a shock and puts Liverpool in a tough position.

Mislintat, then, is an outsider who does have some of that understanding. He has a great relationship with Klopp, knows what he wants and has enjoyed success in the role previously. There’s only really one black mark against his signing.

That’s a spell with Arsenal from 2017 to 2019 that didn’t really work out. Mislintat left the club in a decision celebrated by their fans. The hope would be that his previous success with Klopp is the example to hold onto, should he replace Ward at Liverpool, and not his time at the Emirates.