Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said that bringing Michael Edwards back into the fold at Liverpool was critical to the club's continued success.
Edwards left Liverpool in 2022 after six years as the club's sporting director, but was re-hired by FSG two years later and is now its chief executive of soccer. Upon his return to the fold, Edwards made a number of significant appointments, with Richard Hughes arguably the biggest hire of the lot.
Hughes occupies the sporting director position that Edwards used to hold, and Hughes was influential in the appointment of Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's successor in 2024.
In an interview with The Athletic, Werner explained just how important Edwards' return to the club was. Werner said: "He (Hughes) is extremely bright, extremely successful. His record is peerless.
"He was critical in rebuilding the structure, which included not just appointing Richard Hughes as sporting director, but also the staff under him, like the scouts.
“They say success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan. Well, I’d say Michael is probably the preeminent father of success (at Liverpool).
"Without his leadership, which was so important in identifying Richard and identifying so many of the players who have been so critical to the success we’ve enjoyed, we wouldn’t be where we are now.
“Did he need much persuading (to return, having left in summer 2022)? Yes and no. He’s a very talented man, and I’m sure he had a lot of competing offers. But Liverpool is Liverpool."
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner (Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
While Edwards is intrinsically linked with the Liverpool success story of the last decade, his new role is not a Liverpool-specific one – rather he is the chief executive of soccer for FSG.
He is putting in work behind the scenes as FSG looks to expand its soccer portfolio with the acquisition of another club in Europe.
"Key for Michael was our commitment to purchasing a second club," Werner added. "That’s very much still the plan, but it has to be the right opportunity. We’ve looked at a number of clubs and it just hasn’t been the right fit yet. I do believe eventually that will happen.”
FSG was in talks to buy Bordeaux last year but that prospective takeover did not materialize, while Spanish clubs Malaga and Getafe have also been mentioned as possible acquisitions.