FSG will break Liverpool tradition with Arne Slot as Michael Edwards influence clear

Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot.
Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot. -Credit:Photo by ANP via Getty Images


Liverpool's hierarchy has known for longer than almost anyone else that Jürgen Klopp was going to leave this summer. In just three weeks, the German will wave an emotional goodbye on the Anfield turf after informing his employer last November.

But while Liverpool knew that it was coming and has had months to plan ahead, the challenge of replacing Klopp remains a difficult one. Whoever was chosen — and Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is set to be the man — they were going to face a lot of difficulties with taking on such a mantle.

As a result, there has been a change behind the scenes. Liverpool's owner, FSG, has sought to reshape things in the background, giving the club the best chance of being able to move forward without too much of a hitch.

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There will be a transition period of some length, but the feeling is that the playing squad — ultimately the biggest determinant in how successful a club is — is set up nicely to progress, despite the disappointing last few weeks. Most players are at an age where their best years remain ahead of them and there are no glaring holes to fill in the squad, even if there are clear refinements to be made.

Liverpool needs a new center-back, there are mounting problems in the Reds' attack, and big names like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are in need of contract decisions being made. All that, though, would have been the case even if Klopp had stayed.

As expected given the restructure behind the scenes at Liverpool, with Michael Edwards back working with FSG as CEO of football and Richard Hughes installed as the Reds' new sporting director, Slot's title, The Times has confirmed, will be 'head coach' rather than 'manager'. That is a break from the traditional norm at Anfield.

Never before have the Reds gone down that route, but this is a typically modern way of thinking that most elite European clubs conform to now. Until 2016, Liverpool had never had a sporting director before, but that position — like the head coach — is seen as the optimal model in which to work.

Ultimately, as well as it being a streamlined way to operate where no one person is responsible for too much, it is also a safeguard against the kind of decline that Manchester United saw post-Alex Ferguson. The idea — the theory, at least — is that if what is behind the scenes stays consistent, the identity of the head coach, which is always likely to change more often, matters less.

It is also a reflection, clearly, of how highly-rated Edwards is by FSG. With Klopp going, he was targeted for a return. After his initial response was to reject any advances, he was eventually talked around with a wider remit and much wider-ranging role.

Edwards' new position reflects not only the continual modernization of Liverpool, but also his standing within the game. It is set to see him oversee the identification, purchasing and then running of another club to add to FSG's soccer portfolio. He does the overarching work, with Hughes in charge of Liverpool and Slot in charge of the team.

It is a modern system for a forward-thinking club. While the job title for Slot is not unusual, it is a Liverpool first — and the Reds will hope that the theory of a head coach being easier to replace within the wider ecosystem is not one that has to be tested any time soon.