Surprise Liverpool return ISN'T the knock on Jurgen Klopp some think it is | OneFootball

Julian Ward is back in the fold at Liverpool - the latest return in 2024. It’s not the comment on Jurgen Klopp that some think it is, however.

Julian Ward is back in the mix with Liverpool FC. That's according to the Athletic, who explained that he'll take up the role of Technical Director at FSG.

He's the latest in a number of returns to the club, with Michael Edwards the most prominent. Ward previously worked at Liverpool under Edwards before taking over his role as sporting director in 2022.

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Ward stepped down after a year, however, and the fact he's come back has been telling for some. After all, here's a group of former Liverpool employees jumping back in as Jurgen Klopp exits the club.

The German's power, particularly over transfers, has come under the microscope in recent times. Some have suggested that it went too far - and that the returns are a sign that they didn't want to work with Klopp.

However, we disagree.

Jurgen Klopp's exit

It's important to note one thing, in particular - Edwards and Ward are not returning to their roles. Technically, they're not even returning to Liverpool.

Both are working for FSG and overseeing their football project as a whole. That's no longer just Liverpool, as Edwards will be overseeing the transition to a multi-club project.

So this isn't simply a case of Edwards and Ward jumping back in now that Klopp is off. For one thing, Edwards consistently rejected Liverpool earlier this year despite knowing full well that the German would be leaving.

What eventually swayed him - and almost certainly Ward - was the promise of a major promotion and a different role.

So we'd argue that all of this is actually a sign of how Liverpool see the post-Klopp era. They're losing the face of it all - the man who transformed the club on his arrival.

Replacing Klopp is almost impossible and it likely is impossible in the current setup. So FSG haven't even tried. Instead, they've brought back the other brains behind it all and given them the roles they needed to oversee an unquestionably new era.

The returns aren't a sign of previous failure. They're a sign that for Liverpool to continue on the right path after Klopp, they had to make sure they retained as much of the previous project as they could.

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