Liverpool are set to consider Benfica’s Rui Pedro Braz as a candidate to fill the vacant sporting director position at Anfield.
The Reds have been without someone in the key role since Jorg Schmadtke left at the end of last month. And speaking exclusively to RTK, journalist Graeme Bailey says Liverpool are looking into a number of options, including Braz
“They don’t know who you want just yet from what I’m told,” says Bailey. “I think they are narrowing down the list and they’ve got a fair idea.
“Rui Pedro Braz at Benfica, he’s a wonderful candidate and I think that he’ll be one who’s considered by Liverpool. He’s a wonderful operator. You can see from the deals he’s done at Benfica. He might actually be the sort of one who fits.
“I did see [Cristiano] Giuntoli at Juventus being mentioned who’s done a fantastic job since going in there, but I think he’s more of a fit for the United brand in terms of having to put something right.”
Liverpool consider Braz
You can understand why Liverpool would be interested in Braz. Having been at Benfica since 2021, he’s been the driver behind some wonderful deals for the club.
As an ownership group who like to buy relatively low and increase the value of their players, FSG have surely been impressed by the Portuguese director.
Just look at some of the names Braz has bought and then sold at Benfica.
Liverpool don’t have to look too far to see the work he did on identifying Darwin Nunez as an £85m player. Arriving from Almeria in 2020, Nunez was actually brought to the Estadio da Luz before Braz.
However, the sporting director certainly played a big part in selling the Uruguayan off to Liverpool for a buying club record just two years later.
If the Nunez sale was impressive though, then what Braz and Benfica achieved with Enzo Fernandez was absolutely mind-blowing.
Having earmarked him as a top talent while still at River Plate, the Lisbon side paid just £15m for Enzo in summer of 2022. By January 2023, he’d become the Premier League’s record signing, sold to Chelsea for £106.8m. Stunning. There’s more where that came from, too.
Of course, not all of this is down to the work done by Braz. Benfica have long been regarded as wily operators in the transfer market. There’s a chance that this doesn’t translate to English football and to Liverpool as well.
But if Braz is indeed the man FSG want, then Reds fans should be very excited regardless.
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