Liverpool and Man Utd go through major restructuring.
The future looks... different
Hi, sorry this is a late one! This was going to be a much broader piece, but the topic ended up being much bigger and will now be in two parts. This is part one, and part two will focus on the wider health of English football. Enjoy!
Manchester United and Liverpool played out the kind of thriller at the weekend that makes people romanticise the FA Cup. People talked about how the two clubs are in different moments, but in terms of behind-the-scenes changeovers, they’re arguably in exactly the same moment. England’s two most successful teams are making decisions right now that will determine their trajectories for many years to come. Let’s take a look at them.
When Michael Edwards announced he would leave Liverpool in November 2021, everyone in football wanted to work with him. Real Madrid made a serious approach within a month or so. Paris Saint-Germain identified him as their next sporting director before he had finished serving his notice at Anfield. Chelsea wanted to make him the “CEO of Football” as soon as Todd Boehly and his band of merry investors took over at Stamford Bridge. Most recently, Jim Ratcliffe wanted him to be a part of Manchester United’s big overhaul.
Four of the biggest clubs in the world approached him that we know of. It’s possible others did so in private without getting leaked to the press. He turned them all down.
I must admit I thought he would never work inside a football club again after all of this. Perhaps he didn’t enjoy the work-life balance. Perhaps he was committed to Ludonautics, the consultancy firm he founded with Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former Director of Research. “Edwards’ role will not prevent him taking permanent employment elsewhere”, David Ornstein reported in September, “however those with knowledge of the situation believe it is the focus of his attention for at least the immediate future, and are adamant that he does not intend to undertake another sporting director post in his career”. He was offered the world and said no to do this. I thought he wanted to stay outside football clubs.
And then in the last couple of weeks, rumours fired up that Liverpool wanted him. After turning down their first overture, he was officially announced as the “CEO of Football” at Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owners. So what finally changed his mind? What could FSG give him that no other superclub could offer?
“One of the biggest factors in my decision”, Edwards said in an extremely rare public comment, “is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organisation1. I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.”