Liverpool will be getting a really ‘intelligent’ man who has a history of success if they appoint Jorg Schmadtke as their sporting director.
That’s the view of former Liverpool player Erik Meijer. As well as turning out at Anfield, Meijer played under Schmadtke’s stewardship at Aachen in the early 2000s. So, with the Reds set to appoint the man who signed him 20 years ago, Meijer has told The Daily Mail what they should expect.
“Most of all, Jorg was always a smart guy, very intelligent. Every club he has worked at, from Aachen to Wolfsburg, always had a high period but they never did it by spending lots of money,” explained the Dutchman. “Aachen were in the second division when I went there [in 2003]; Jorg said: “come here, we will have some fun!” – he was right. Within 12 months, we had got to the German Cup final.
Klopp set to meet his match
As well as giving an insight into Schmadtke’s former work, Meijer gave his opinion on how the 59-year-old will work with Jurgen Klopp. And it sounds like good news for Reds fans.
“Jorg finds managers that can make clubs better and players that managers can make better,” he said. “And that is what Jurgen Klopp loves – players you can make better. He never wants the finished article, he much prefers being with those who know their best days are in front of them.
“Jurgen, I believe, respects him a lot. He wants people around him that are the best at their jobs. Jurgen has never said knows the answers for everything. He doesn’t want people who will just say “yes” or do what he says. Jorg is his own man and not afraid to speak out when he has a strong view.
“If you look at Jorg, he always seems to have a stern face, like he is waiting to criticise, but that is just him wanting the very best he can get from a situation. He is always looking for perfection, if that is possible. Sometimes it means he has to be hard with what he says but he isn’t afraid to speak out.”
Liverpool ready Schmadtke appointment
There has been plenty of scrutiny over Liverpool’s seemingly imminent decision to bring Schmadtke on board. He isn’t exactly the kind of forward-thinking, data-focused appointment many would have been expecting.
But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, By the sounds of it he’s a rather old school football man who values a challenging working environment. Whether he’s at Anfield for three months or for three years, he certainly won’t be coming just for the pay-check.
Frankly, he also sounds a little bit mad. And we’re all for that. Football isn’t full of characters in the way that it used to be, but between Schmadtke and Klopp, it sounds like we’ll have two of the best.
Interesting insight from Meijer. We’re intrigued to see how all this is going to play out.
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