Ex-Liverpool chief completes surprise return in new role after snubbing Man Utd
Julian Ward will be involved at Liverpool again after taking up a new role with the club’s owners FSG
Julian Ward has returned to Liverpool’s ownership group just 12 months after quitting the club.
The football figure has been named as the technical director at Fenway Sports Group. Pedro Marques has been appointed as director of football development after arriving from Benfica.
Ward walked away from a sporting director role at the club just 12 months ago having previously worked under Michael Edwards, who has also returned to Liverpool as FSG CEO of football. Ward and Marques are in newly created roles as part of FSG’s wider set-up.
Ward was considering a global technical director role with INEOS Football Group, whose founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe owns a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, but he was convinced to return to Liverpool. Richard Hughes is arriving from Bournemouth this summer to take on Ward and Edwards’ former role.
Hughes will be looking at recruitment, negotiations, medical and science operations along with administrative and facilities management. Ward is expected to oversee player development across FSG’s football operations.
Ward was promoted to replace Edwards in 2022 following his departure after 10 years as sporting director. Ward played a leading role in negotiating several big transfers for Liverpool, including club-record signing Darwin Nunez and deals for Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.
Jorg Schmadtke replaced Ward as sporting director on an interim basis but will leave Liverpool at the end of this season when Jurgen Klopp steps down. As part of Edwards’ role as CEO of Football, he has been tasked with seeking out new clubs to invest in as FSG look to build a multi-club ownership model similar to that of City Football Group.
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