Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchison is delighted to see Michael Edwards return to the Premier League giants as CEO of Football in a move which could leave Manchester City and Arsenal ‘gutted’.
Now, if the returning Michael Edwards has any plans to try and convince Jurgen Klopp to ‘do a Fergie’ and postpone his departure – just like the legendary Manchester United boss did in 2002 – then he may find himself fighting a losing battle.
Hutchison, however, insists that the former sporting director-turned-CEO of Football can do no harm by asking, backing Edwards to throw everything towards keeping a manager sitting at the right hand of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley in the sprawling pantheon of Anfield greats.
Michael Edwards returns to Liverpool
“Edwards’ first job should be to sit down with Klopp,” Hutchison, who spent three years at Liverpool in the early-1990s, writes on X.
“1) Ask him what will it take to make him stay. 2) Promise him two or three big names. 3) Imagine the impact on the Liverpool fans if he changed his mind. It would be monumental and huge for FSG and Edwards.
“4) Pep (Guardiola and Mikel) Arteta etc gutted…”
HITC Football understands that Liverpool are already well underway in pursuit of a replacement. Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi, Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim and Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann are all under consideration. Xabi Alonso is the number one choice, however.
And despite interest from another of the Spaniard’s old employers – Bayern Munich – Liverpool remain ‘quietly confident’ that Alonso will return to Anfield at the end of the current campaign.
Xabi Alonso is Liverpool’s post-Klopp priority
The remarkable job Alonso has done at Bayer Leverkusen, a team who have never before tasted Bundesliga glory cruising ten points clear, appears to make a period of post-Klopp struggles unlikely on Merseyside. Unlike back in 2013, when Man United appointed David Moyes, there is no shortage of excellent young managers emerging.
And, even with Klopp on his way, Edwards’ return should ease the transition between one era and the next. Edwards remains one of the most respected and talented behind-the-scenes operators around. And it’s fair to say he knows what makes Liverpool tick.
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