Jurgen Klopp is set to have a bigger say in Liverpool transfers after Julian Ward’s departure

Jurgen Klopp is ready to take on more responsibility LiverpoolSources have told ESPN, following the sudden departure of sporting director Julian Ward after less than six months on the job.

Ward was promoted to his role at the end of last season after Michael Edwards, credited with making Liverpool’s recruitment policy the best in Europe, resigned to take a break.

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Sources say Ward, 41, will be leaving his post for personal reasons and that he will honor the six-month notice period and stay in place until the end of the season.

But with Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), currently in the process of finding a buyer for the 19-time English champions, sources say Ward is unlikely to be replaced by the owner. . As a result, the club will operate with manager-led recruitment until a new buyer is found.

This means that Klopp will have a greater say in Liverpool’s incoming and outgoing transfers. Klopp has wanted the club to add a new midfielder to the team during the summer transfer window amid concerns about the fitness of some of the players in his squad.

And although the FSG has sanctioned a loan move for Juventus and Brazil midfielder Arthur Melo on the last day of the transfer window, the 26-year-old made just one appearance – a 13-minute Champions League debut against Naples in September — due to a series of trauma problems.

With Klopp extending his contract earlier until the end of the 2025-26 season, sources say the former Borussia Dortmund Coaches will have to ensure stability in FSG’s buyer search process by overseeing player recruitment in the absence of a sporting director.