Ward expected to return as Liverpool sporting director

Fenway Sports Group is expected to appoint Julian Ward as Liverpool’s sporting director following Richard Hughes’s departure, according to a report attributed to David Ornstein. The anticipated appointment has not been confirmed by Liverpool or FSG in the supplied information, and no start date was given. Ward is currently FSG’s technical director, the report says. He previously served as Liverpool sporting director for the 2022-23 season and left the role at the end of that campaign. A return would place an experienced club figure in a senior position after changes in Liverpool’s leadership structure: Hughes has left, while Michael Edwards has stepped down as FSG’s chief executive of football. Ward’s earlier tenure coincided with several player signings. The account credits him with involvement in the arrivals of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Fabio Carvalho, and says he was also thought to have had a role in bringing Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister to Anfield. It does not provide details establishing Ward’s individual responsibility for each transfer.