LONDON: The man who helped underpin much of Liverpool’s success under Jurgen Klopp is returning to oversee the restructuring of the English club when the German manager leaves at the end of the season.
Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s former sporting director, will take up the role of “chief executive of football” at Fenway Sports Group — the US-based conglomerate whose portfolio of sports teams includes Liverpool.
His tasks will include hiring a sporting director at Liverpool who will be responsible for identifying a replacement for Klopp, who said in January that he will be stepping down after nearly nine years as manager. Among those linked with the upcoming vacancy is Xabi Alonso, who currently coaches German league leader Bayer Leverkusen and used to play for Liverpool.
Edwards will also oversee FSG’s purchase of another soccer club, he said in a statement published by FSG, which also owns the Boston Red Sox.
Edwards left Liverpool in 2022 after an 11-year association with the team, which included time as sporting director from 2015-22 when he oversaw the signings of Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, and Virgil van Dijk. Klopp, who joined in late 2015, has led Liverpool to the Premier League and Champions League titles in that period, as well as multiple domestic cups.
Edwards has rejected numerous offers to return to soccer after leaving Liverpool and has been doing consultancy work with sports advisory firm Ludonautics. FSG said Edwards will no longer be working for Ludonautics.
FSG President Mike Gordon described Edwards as “one of the most formidable executive talents in world football.”
“He returns to us in a role with greater seniority than he held previously and with a wider remit,” Gordon said. “It was clear when we initially reached out to him that a broader scope would be a key motivating factor for any potential return to the industry. In this regard — and many others — his ambitions matched ours.”
Edwards replaces Gordon as FSG’s day-to-day decision maker on all soccer matters and said one of the biggest factors in agreeing to return was “the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organization.”
“I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary,” Edwards said.
Liverpool’s restructuring in the post-Jurgen Klopp era will be overseen by Michael Edwards
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Liverpool’s restructuring in the post-Jurgen Klopp era will be overseen by Michael Edwards
- Michael Edwards, Liverpool’s former sporting director, will take up the role of “chief executive of football”
- His tasks will include hiring a sporting director at Liverpool
Nunez late double rescues win for Liverpool in Premier League
- Nunez was derided by Brentford’s fans after going on as a substitute in the 65th minute
- The Uruguay striker responded by turning home a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first minute of added-on time
LONDON: Darwin Nunez scored twice in stoppage time as Liverpool beat Brentford 2-0 to strengthen their spot in first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
Second-placed Arsenal will look to restore the four-point gap to Liverpool by defeating Aston Villa later.
Nunez was derided by Brentford’s fans after going on as a substitute in the 65th minute, but the Uruguay striker responded by turning home a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the first minute of added-on time.
Nunez then finished off a counterattack two minutes later and secured a first victory in three league games for Liverpool, which drew with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest either side of a loss to Tottenham in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals.
Liverpool have still lost only one league game all season, at home to Forest in September. The Reds had 37 shots against Brentford and scored with their final two.
Van Nistelrooy under pressure
Next-to-last Leicester lost a seventh straight game in the league, 2-0 to Fulham, to pile the pressure on recently hired manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Van Nistelrooy has won only one of his nine league games in charge — the first against West Ham on Dec. 3.
Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore scored for Fulham.
Crystal Palace won at West Ham 2-0 thanks to two second-half goals by Jean-Philippe Mateta, the second from the penalty spot.
Goretzka stars as Bayern stretch Bundesliga lead to 7 points with win over Wolfsburg
- Goretzka fell out of favor at Bayern last season but reminded the club’s bosses of his qualities
- Bayern started well with Leroy Sané striking the crossbar
BERLIN: Leon Goretzka scored twice for Bayern Munich as they beat Wolfsburg 3-2 to open a seven-point lead in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Defending champion Bayer Leverkusen could restore the four-point gap with a win at home against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the late game.
Goretzka fell out of favor at Bayern last season but reminded the club’s bosses of his qualities by scoring twice for the first time since March.
Bayern started well with Leroy Sané striking the crossbar, then Harry Kane forcing a save from Kamil Grabara in the Wolfsburg goal.
But it took Goretzka to open the scoring in the 20th after surging through the middle of the field before firing inside the far post. Goretzka’s second goal in the 62nd – coming after Michael Olize’s goal in the 39th – proved to be the winner after Mohammed Amoura scored twice for Wolfsburg.
Leipzig squandered a three-goal lead at last-place Bochum as Myron Boadu scored a second-half hat trick for the home team.
Stuttgart capitalized with a 4-0 rout of Freiburg to overtake Leipzig and move to fourth, the last place for Champions League qualification. Leipzig dropped a point behind Stuttgart in fifth.
Also, St. Pauli defeated relegation rival Heidenheim 2-0 away, and Hoffenheim won at Holstein Kiel 3-1.
Kluivert scores another hat trick as Bournemouth end Newcastle’s winning run in Premier League
- Milos Kerkez added a fourth goal in the sixth minute of added-on time
- Bruno Guimaraes had equalized for Newcastle
NEWCASTLE: Justin Kluivert scored his second hat trick of the season in the Premier League to inspire Bournemouth to a 4-1 victory at Newcastle, whose nine-match winning run in all competitions came to an end emphatically on Saturday.
The Dutch midfielder netted in the sixth and 44th minutes, and again in the second-half stoppage time to complete his hat trick at St. James’ Park.
Milos Kerkez added a fourth goal in the sixth minute of added-on time.
Bruno Guimaraes had equalized for Newcastle.
Kluivert also scored three goals against Wolverhampton in November. In that match, all of Kluivert’s goals were penalties, but he scored from open play each time against Newcastle.
Six of Newcastle’s nine straight victories had come in the league, helping to lift the Saudi-controlled team into the top four in their bid to return to the Champions League.
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak failed to score, having previously netted in eight league games in a row. That left him three games short of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy’s record for the longest scoring run in Premier League history.
Bournemouth climbed to sixth place, tied for points with fifth-place Chelsea.
FIFA bans Venezuelan soccer official for 5 years and orders near-$1M fine for financial wrongdoing
- FIFA’s ethics committee had also charged Álvarez with breaching “duty of loyalty”
- The verdict can be challenged on appeal
ZURICH: FIFA has banned a Venezuelan soccer official from the sport for five years for financial wrongdoing and fined him nearly $1m.
Manuel Álvarez was secretary general of the Venezuelan soccer federation when his conduct enabled the “misappropriation and misuse” of its and FIFA’s money, soccer’s world body said announcing the verdict late Friday.
FIFA’s ethics committee had also charged Álvarez with breaching “duty of loyalty” and “general duties” under its code.
FIFA, which makes at least $2 million available in funding each year to all 211 member federations, gave no details about the financial misconduct. The verdict can be challenged on appeal.
It is unclear how FIFA can enforce payment of the fine if Álvarez does not return to soccer.
Venezuela is the only member of the 10-nation CONMEBOL group of South American federations that has never qualified to play at the men’s World Cup.
Frankfurt drop Marmoush against Dortmund, confirm Man City talks
- Marmoush has been heavily linked with a winter move to City after a stellar first half of the season.
- The 25-year-old has scored 15 goals in 17 league games
BERLIN: Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday left forward Omar Marmoush out of their matchday squad for the home clash with Borussia Dortmund due to “transfer talks” with Manchester City.
Marmoush has been heavily linked with a winter move to City after a stellar first half of the season.
The 25-year-old has scored 15 goals in 17 league games, one fewer than leader Harry Kane, and laid on 10 assists.
“Eintracht Frankfurt is currently in talks with another club for the transfer of Omar Marmoush. The player is therefore not part of the team today,” the club wrote on social media just hours before the Dortmund clash.
Speaking with DAZN before the game, Frankfurt sporting director Markus Kroesche confirmed Marmoush was set “to leave us in the direction of Manchester City.”
“It looks like Omar will be leaving us and that’s why he’s not in the squad.
“We’ve been in regular discussions with Manchester City for the past few days.”
The Egyptian arrived in Frankfurt on a free transfer from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023.
German and international media reported the struggling English champions, who sit 12 points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League, are set to pay up to 80 million euros ($82 million) for Marmoush.
