Michael Edwards close to making return to LFC

Big Andy

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Obviously thought Klopp was a giant cnut, and left because of it, now he’s leaving he’s coming back.
 

Acquire Me

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I refuse to believe this will happen because I won't be able to handle it if it doesn't. For those who don't know who Edwards is and what he's already done for us... Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Not really. He should not be in that position. Need better people over him.

Panic move and the start of the end for you guys.
 

ThierryHenry14

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Oh I fully expect we won't be getting 90+ points any time. I understand that.

But you're being naïve if you think we'll go away altogether. The club is in a fairly healthy position overall. Much more so than when Klopp came in. A lot hinges on the new manager but once Pep goes, who's going to dominate the league? No one is standing out and it leaves it open for a free for all. Could see the winner change season after season. Maybe someone wins two in a row then falls away.

Post Fergie and pre-Pep's first title in 2018 it was City, Chelsea, Leicester, Chelsea. Liverpool, Arsenal & Spurs were all competing as well.
If Xabi Alonso takes over then nothing to worry about. I wish he will be your next head coach.
 

Bubz27

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I'd go for Bowen personally. I do think Salah is going this summer though.
Bowens a fine player and I figure the idea is to share the goals around when Salah goes. But a huge fear factor goes when Salah goes.
 

Liver_bird

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I feel with club officials like this that there’s only a finite time that you can have an advantage over the opposition before they eventually catch up to you, and maybe even do better than you, unless they are some kind of genius renaissance person.

I remember 20-25 years ago, Arsenal had this sixth sense to pick out ridiculous talent on the cheap and still compete with the United money machine, and then come the mid to late 2000s it seemed like a lot of other clubs did that and Arsenal’s advantage had gone.

So Edwards and his data driven player recruitment methods may just be the norm now, especially with clubs like Brighton and Brentford doing it and may not be the trump card it once was.
I agree with this, the approach paid dividends in klopps early tenure because Edwards and the clubs analytics approach combined with Klopp gave us an edge. That edge no longer exist and hasn't done for years. I think a lot of what he will bring is contacts and relationships but his previous role will be done by Hughes. It'll be more interesting to see what his new role encompasses.
 

Klopper76

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If we know anything about the cheats, it’s that they’ll move heaven and Earth to ensure they get the best available manager on the planet and give him a blank cheque.
And who will that be? Who can match up to Pep's ruthless efficiency? He's dominated English football after a bumpy first season.
If Xabi Alonso takes over then nothing to worry about. I wish he will be your next head coach.
What makes you say that?
Bowens a fine player and I figure the idea is to share the goals around when Salah goes. But a huge fear factor goes when Salah goes.
Yeah of course, and we've seen before that replacing quality like Suarez, Alonso, Torres etc isn't easy. Salah is a guaranteed 20 goals a season winger.
 

Melbourne Red

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We should do an unveiling at Anfield with Edwards in a club tie doing keepyups with a laptop
 

giorno

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Obviously thought Klopp was a giant cnut, and left because of it, now he’s leaving he’s coming back.
Well yeah, kinda. He did leave because Klopp was kinda/sorta stealing his job
 

Bartondale

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Oh I fully expect we won't be getting 90+ points any time. I understand that.

But you're being naïve if you think we'll go away altogether. The club is in a fairly healthy position overall. Much more so than when Klopp came in. A lot hinges on the new manager but once Pep goes, who's going to dominate the league?
When Guardiola leaves, City will continue to dominate.
Wealthy ownership, not coaching acumen, is the critical factor in dominating the league.

Jack Walker bought a title for Blackburn, Roman Abramovich bought five titles under three separate managers for Chelsea and the Gulf State bought 10 titles under three different managers for Man City.

Guardiola is vastly over rated as a coach. What would he achieve at a relatively impoverished club coaching players of limited ability, such as Fulham, Leeds or Leicester?

Bugger all I suspect.
 

el_loco_bielsa

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I see the boys in Boston are doing what needs to be done with a maximum amount of efficiency and a minimum amount of fuss, unlike all the noise emanating from the theatre of screams.

Next step Xabi Alonso coming back home now there’s a tried and tested sporting structure in place and we’re all set to go again next season.
 

horsechoker

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I see the boys in Boston are doing what needs to be done with a maximum amount of efficiency and a minimum amount of fuss, unlike all the noise emanating from the theatre of screams.

Next step Xabi Alonso coming back home now there’s a tried and tested sporting structure in place and we’re all set to go again next season.
I can't wait for you lot to get banned
 

SilentWitness

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I'd go for Bowen personally. I do think Salah is going this summer though.
He was the perfect Salah replacement but feel like the time for him is gone as he signed a big contract and WHU will demand silly Rice type fees.
 

Dion

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He was the perfect Salah replacement but feel like the time for him is gone as he signed a big contract and WHU will demand silly Rice type fees.
You don't replace Salah like for like, it's impossible. As the yanks would put it, you replace him in the aggregate.
 

TheLiverBird

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Why did he leave in the first place?
No issues with Klopp

Apparently he wanted a new challenge, he’d done everything and achieved everything he could in his current position at that time doing his part which contributed Liverpool essentially winning everything.

He’s not one too go on repeat in the same capacity once goals are achieved by all accounts, so moving on was his next step. Liverpool have now offered him a new position which upscale his previous role massively, not just financially either.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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Oh you'll soon learn how low you can go when you lose a great manager. Truly deranged
Losing Salah to Saudi will be just as big a blow. The guy is involved in 40% of their league goals so far this season, in a bad year like last or 20/21 for them he got 46 and 37 G/A. Without Klopp and Salah the highs won’t be as high and the lows can get really ugly, a bad season won’t be just scraping 4th or failing to make the CL, it can be current Chelsea-esque.
 

amolbhatia50k

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I refuse to believe this will happen because I won't be able to handle it if it doesn't. For those who don't know who Edwards is and what he's already done for us... Be afraid. Be very afraid.
:lol: :lol:
 

Dumbstar

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No issues with Klopp

Apparently he wanted a new challenge, he’d done everything and achieved everything he could in his current position at that time doing his part which contributed Liverpool essentially winning everything.

He’s not one too go on repeat in the same capacity once goals are achieved by all accounts, so moving on was his next step. Liverpool have now offered him a new position which upscale his previous role massively, not just financially either.
I'm not sure how I feel about that, I would have preferred him at ground level. But I guess we wouldn't have got him back if that's all we offered. Just happy he's back.

Since the devastating blow of Klopp's announcement we've done nothing but head in the right direction (Edwards, Alonso). Still won't make up for Klopp's loss but we might just survive now. A New Hope.

Edit: A bit worried about that Hughes fellow. Buying Ibe, Solanke, etc... :nervous:
 

laughtersassassin

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It pains me how well they are run.

With Klopp leaving there is still decent hope they are in for some tough years but with getting Edwards back they'll likely cope fairly well with Klopp leaving
 

erikcred

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I'm not sure how I feel about that, I would have preferred him at ground level. But I guess we wouldn't have got him back if that's all we offered. Just happy he's back.

Since the devastating blow of Klopp's announcement we've done nothing but head in the right direction (Edwards, Alonso). Still won't make up for Klopp's loss but we might just survive now. A New Hope.

Edit: A bit worried about that Hughes fellow. Buying Ibe, Solanke, etc... :nervous:
Wait, whaaa?
 

Mb194dc

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It pains me how well they are run.

With Klopp leaving there is still decent hope they are in for some tough years but with getting Edwards back they'll likely cope fairly well with Klopp leaving
Their squad is decent and coping with some injuries ok. I'll be surprised if they aren't top 4 with a new manager, unfortunately.

Klopp has had some bad spells their and been "helped out", saw it last year v wolves and that season where they kept losing at home... He's been overhyped.
 

LilienFan

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Losing Salah to Saudi will be just as big a blow. The guy is involved in 40% of their league goals so far this season, in a bad year like last or 20/21 for them he got 46 and 37 G/A. Without Klopp and Salah the highs won’t be as high and the lows can get really ugly, a bad season won’t be just scraping 4th or failing to make the CL, it can be current Chelsea-esque.
Yeah, but that is kind of arguing that they are playing with 10 men without Salah. His replacement will still get production. They won 6 out of 7 with Salah playing 45 minutes. I think replacing Salah with a winger of similar quality would be impossible, but between Jota, Nunez, Diaz, Elliott, Szoboszlai, Jones, McAllister and Gakpo provide enough offensively, if they can just get another difference maker. And Wirtz would be a difference maker. They get Alonso/Wirtz, their transition will be smooth as silk. Otherwise it could indeed get rocky.

It will all come down to Alonso. Besides Wirtz Leverkusen have multiple young CBs to replace VVD. Boniface to bolster their front line and Grimaldo has been the best LB in the world this year. 9/10 in 24 games with some worldies. Though 28 is probably on the edge of their age profile. They will need to replace Robertson soon. He has been Liverpool´s 3rd best LB, behind Tsimikas and inverted Gomez.

So they get Alonso to ravage that brilliant Leverkusen side, they´ll have an "easy" transition. Everything you hear coming out of Leverkusen, his brain and workrate are exceptional, and moreso he treats everybody the same from the star players to the cleaning crew, knows everybody by name and is universally loved for it.
 

Pexbo

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Was Klopp’s success at Liverpool because of Edwards or was Edwards success at Liverpool because of Klopp?
 

Devil_forever

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Absolute state of football these days when fans are getting giddy about hiring men in suits.
I mean these days, these men in suits are just as important to a team’s on field success as the manager or even players are. United are living proof that not having a DoF has been the biggest reason for our recent failures.
 

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I mean these days, these men in suits are just as important to a team’s on field success as the manager or even players are. United are living proof that not having a DoF has been the biggest reason for our recent failures.
Loads of clubs have DoF's and aren't successful. Girona are in a title race in Spain for the first time ever (I think?) despite having the same DoF for the last decade.
 

GoonerBear

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I mean these days, these men in suits are just as important to a team’s on field success as the manager or even players are. United are living proof that not having a DoF has been the biggest reason for our recent failures.
I'm not sure how true that is to be honest. From previously underrating, I think we've gone the other way and are now over rating Sporting Directors roles.

I believe the best coaches & teams more often or not define what good / bad transfers are. Take someone like Caceido for instance, seen as a poor transfer just now for Chelsea, do we think he'd be viewed as poor playing for Klopp's Liverpool?

I've seen guys like Monchi lauded for what he did at Sevilla, then failed to replicate it elsewhere, the guys at Brighton likewise. Don't get me wrong, i think clubs & sporting directors can make poor choices in signings (forgive me for saying like Utd have, signing aging stars for big money on big contracts), and i get all the data used etc, but for me, once you get to the level the elite clubs are at, i do think a lot of transfers are not about using data to find gems like a Brighton or Brentford do, a lot is just about being sensible with your signings, just going for players that try and suit your strategy, in terms of age profile, style of play, areas of need etc.
 
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CannonBalls

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He would sell Salah to Saudi for 200m and fund the whole rebuild.
Coutinho 2.0
 

GoonerBear

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The clue is likely at Dortmund and at looking at Klopp players, post-Klopp.
Good comparison. How do Dortmund themselves perform post Klopp, and how do the players themselves perform when they left Klopp's Dortmund and go into different environments?

There's certainly a hold load of variables in there as well of course, but we wont have to wait and long to see how Liverpool do post Klopp with Edwards in place.