There were various reasons as to why Michael Edwards left Liverpool.
One of the main factors was his desire to have full control of the club and that is why he only returned to FSG in a chief football executive role rather than as a sporting director again.
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During his first stint at the club, Edwards ran into a lot of dead ends when it came to one area of recruitment in particular.
The former sporting director was keen to tap into the South American market where others like Manchester City and Brighton have both enjoyed a lot of success over the last few years recruiting the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo or Julian Alvarez.
Edwards wanted to introduce a similar tradition at Liverpool but his desire never came into effect.
Liverpool's failed transfer moves for South American talent
Notoriously, Edwards was keen to recruit Rodryo, who was catching the eye for Santos in Brazil. Rodrygo has confirmed that Liverpool indeed made a move for him.
However, Edwards' desire was pushed back at Anfield, and while Liverpool made an offer to the youngster at the time, it wasn't a desirable one for Rodrygo.
Other countless stories from South America include the pursuit of Reinier Jesus who broke through at Flamengo and was pursued by Liverpool but in the end Edwards faced push back at the club.
The likes of Jhon Duran was also monitored during his time in South America. Meanwhile, Liverpool could have also recruited Luis Diaz or Darwin Nunez much sooner had Edwards got his way.
Michael Edwards and Arne Slot
© IMAGO - Michael Edwards and Arne Slot
Why Edwards' battle is finally set to end
Now though, Edwards' persistent heartbreak at being pushed back on his desire to tap into the South American market is finally about to end.
He now has full control at Anfield and Liverpool have accelerated their efforts to strengthen from the region.
The club's latest pursuit of Franco Mastantuono is proof of that. Liverpool are reportedly ready to make a record breaking transfer for the 17-year-old and beat countless top teams in the process.
The Argentine midfielder won't be able to join up with Liverpool's first team squad until he turns 18 years old as per FIFA rules, which will happen in August.
However, the fact that the Reds are proactively pursuing a move and trying to wrap things up would suggest Edwards is finally very close to getting what he has always wanted.
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