Liverpool is undergoing another remarkable upheaval following news of Michael Edwards' departure and Richard Hughes' expected exit, leaving Andoni Iraola with an impossible task
04:00, 12 Jul 2026
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 03, 2026 in Manchester, England
Jamie Carragher is spot on about who the most important person at Liverpool is(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool fans will be forgiven if they’re feeling worried about yet more upheaval at Anfield, with departures taking center stage at a time when the club needs new additions.
Michael Edwards’s short tenure back with FSG is already over, with his departure being confirmed on Friday, a week after fresh reports that Richard Hughes is expected to leave as the Reds’ sporting director.
All of that coupled with the ongoing wait for more signings is only serving to increase the anxiety levels among supporters, which is the last thing they need after such a disappointing 2025/26 season, which resulted in the firing of Arne Slot.
For all the excitement that greeted the news of Edwards’ return back in 2024, his latest departure has garnered much more mixed reviews.
Although his role was with FSG rather than Liverpool, he was still very much the head honcho when it came to the operations at Anfield. His return couldn’t have got off to a better start, with the Reds romping to the Premier League title in his first year back.
Once he and Hughes really got to work on making changes though, it all started to go wrong. Big money was spent on record-breaking signings, only for Liverpool to get worse, barely scraping Champions League qualification after a campaign most would like to forget about quickly.
Edwards’ legacy then has taken a hit after what was a successful spell during his first stint at Anfield - but then, should he have had such a reputation among supporters in the first place?
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Liverpool's chief executive of football Michael Edwards during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on October 04, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Michael Edwards has left his role with FSG(Image: Getty Images)
Edwards undoubtedly did a good job during his time as sporting director, but the idea that he was more responsible for Liverpool becoming the behemoth it did than Jurgen Klopp, as some supporters like to suggest, is ridiculous.
Klopp’s arrival transformed Liverpool, and it was his imprint that saw the club re-established as a real force. Anyone who tries to downplay that seriously underestimates his impact.
“Listen, these roles in football now, we wouldn't have talked about these probably 10, 15, 20 years ago,” Jamie Carragher succinctly remarked on Friday after Edwards’ departure was announced. “People wouldn't have known who the chief scout was really.
“That's what a director of football is now. There's obviously a lot more to it and that's why they've got so many numbers and a big team behind them. But for me, as I said, they're a lot more high profile now.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 09: Jurgen Klopp attends the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium on July 09, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Liverpool is feeling Jurgen Klopp's absence more than ever now(Image: Getty Images)
“But for me, the manager is always the most important person and when I look back at that era of success, it was about Jurgen Klopp, no doubt about that. I think, as I said, probably what happened over the last 12 months as well proves that.”
Carragher is absolutely spot on. For all the focus placed on people like Edwards and Hughes nowadays, the person in charge of the team remains the most important role in the club.
The problem for Andoni Iraola now is he has to do something that is surely impossible - get people to stop talking about Jurgen Klopp.
Anyone still in denial about the German’s influence only needs to look at what has happened since his departure. Yes, Liverpool won the title without him, but his fingerprints were all over the Premier League trophy.
From there, the club has now realized just how big a job it is to move on from such an influential figure. Slot couldn’t successfully steer the Reds toward his own style, and just two years on from the club’s revamp, the project’s leaders are already gone or on their way.
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Even in hiring Iraola, there’s an acceptance that Liverpool has to go back to what it once had under Klopp, with even the club’s biggest star pining for that time again.
Iraola has to take control of the situation now and get the Reds back on track. If not, we could find ourselves in exactly the same position in a couple of years, once again looking on enviously at Klopp.