FSG seemingly haven’t given up hope in trying to lure Michael Edwards back to Liverpool two years on from his departure from Anfield.
However, as reported by The Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe, the Reds’ former sporting director would demand to be given more control over football operations in L4 if he’s to return to the club, and he’s already turned down one recent attempt from the LFC hierarchy to come back on board.
As per an update on Wednesday from Fabrizio Romano, that seemingly hasn’t deterred FSG from considering one more attempt at enticing the 44-year-old back to Anfield.
The Telegraph’s report highlighted one factor which could work in Liverpool’s favour, namely that the parameters of the sporting director role would differ once Jurgen Klopp leaves in the summer.
Such was the German’s power at the club during Edwards’ time there that he’d often receive the owners’ backing when there was a difference of opinion regarding major contract decisions.
With the 56-year-old departing at the end of this season and one of the most influential voices at Anfield out of the picture, Jorg Schmadtke’s successor may be in a position to assume greater control thereafter.
Whether that’d be enough for FSG to persuade Edwards to change his mind and return to Liverpool is unclear at this moment in time, with the 44-year-old as of yet showing no hints of a dramatic volte-face (Romano).
Journalist Rory Smyth suggested on social media this afternoon that the owners may even need to offer a ‘small stake’ in their business as a ‘starting point’ for trying to get the Reds’ former sporting director back in situ.
If FSG do genuinely want this to happen, then the starting point for the conversation would probably have to be offering him a stake – a small stake, obviously, but an actual stake – in FSG itself. https://t.co/3WH0Aov7M2
— Rory Smith (@RorySmith) February 28, 2024
That doesn’t seem overly likely to happen, and Edwards may still have no interest in returning to Anfield even with any promises of greater control once Klopp departs.
However, if any forthcoming attempt from FSG to entice him proves successful, Liverpool fans may be delighted to see the return of a man who brokered masterstroke signings such as Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Alisson Becker, while also negotiating handsome prices for the sales of fringe players like Dominic Solanke and Jordon Ibe.
Of course that doesn’t offer any guarantees that the 44-year-old would replicate such success if he does return to the club, but if he were to return, it’d somewhat mitigate the devastation of seeing an all-time great in Klopp leave in three months’ time.