05 Sep 2026 17:45:04
This might be a stupid or unpopular idea but I wonder if we should adopt the Ajax, Bayern or Barca model and get an ex-player as our next Sporting Director. For instance, Robbie Fowler or Steven Gerrard. They know the Club better than most and they know what it means to represent the Club.
They've come through the academy as well. These STC and other mercenaries just don't have that DNA and I wonder why we've never tried this ex-Liverpool player model. After all, Richard Hughes is an ex-player himself; Michael Emenalo too, and many others.
Let me know what you think about this.
YNWA
05 Sep 2026 18:37:18
Not in favour.
05 Sep 2026 18:42:07
I love the sentiment of it, but not sure if it would work.
05 Sep 2026 18:59:38
Good idea, if they are the best person for the job.
Otherwise it’s a “no”. Just get the best man or woman for the job.
{Ed666's Note - Fowler can’t even speak English last thing id want is his him negotiating 100 million pound transfers ?
05 Sep 2026 19:03:56
I like the idea in part. The majority of sporting directors are ex-pros anyway. Ideally you would want somebody who's wise to the business of football and not just a club legend. If we were bringing in somebody who's inexperienced in that particular department, you would probably have to pair him up with an influential second in command who has a wealth of it. I can't imagine anything more appealing to potential targets than having a sit-down with Stevie G himself to tell you just how good he thinks you are and how much the club wants to sign you.
Can't see him being a negotiative mastermind, but you just ensure that he works very closely with his 2nd in command, but then you're sort of almost making the SD a figurehead role. Don't see Stevie being interested in that sort of a role at this age anyway. But I like the sentiment of the whole thing.
05 Sep 2026 19:17:08
Sounds like a terrible idea to me, sorry.
It’s a bit like when ex players who were amazing top of their game players are given management roles that they are just not qualified for. (See Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney etc.)
Being a top player doesn’t mean you’re going to automatically be a top manager, it’s a completely different set of skills. As is sporting director (or whatever it’s called these days).
I hope the club just looks out there and finds the best candidate who has all the right attributes and skills, who is already doing a great job somewhere who fancies a step up to a big club.
Happy to give the likes of Gerrard and Fowler jobs at the club that suit, but being a legend should never mean you get a job you’re never going to be good at.
05 Sep 2026 19:56:17
I don’t see PSG, Man City or Real Madrid saying, “You know what, let’s get an ex-player in to handle an important part of the club.” Just get the best person for the role, not Gerrard or Fowler simply because they’re club legends. I’m sure the soon to be new owners, the 1892 Consortium, would be thinking along the same lines.
The dream would be Luis Campos, but let’s be honest, that’s unlikely at best. Tiago Pinto would be a shout, and there are some very good sporting directors in the Bundesliga.
If we are going down the appointment from within route, then for me there is only one option, and that’s Pedro Marques. He appears to be doing a fantastic job in his current role, which I feel could potentially translate well into this vacant position. His skill set also seems to marry well with Andoni’s philosophy and his work with talented young players.
05 Sep 2026 20:36:34
No. Unless it was Jurgen. ?
05 Sep 2026 20:45:25
Remember it was Jurgen who chose to buy Nunez and Keita?
05 Sep 2026 20:45:38
I’d consider Milner.
Seems pretty intelligent, probably a good judge of a player. Knows the Premier League.
There are some players I think could do it. Gerrard and Fowler would not be on my list.
Thiago possibly.
I think Milner could do it.
Ultimately, I stick to my original thought - just get the best man or woman for the job. It’s an important job.
{Ed666's Note - That’s a great shout Ron. He speaks two languages fully (English & Spanish) is articulate, intelligent, level headed, cool as a cucumber and like you say would be a proper asset in any negotiation.
05 Sep 2026 21:46:51
If there are any Viz readers on this forum, surely the only man capable of taking this important role who has the necessary gravitas, experience and knowledge is former Leeds United & Scotland frontman, Arthur Graham.
{Ed666's Note - I’m ashamed to admit I know who Arthur Graham is..Jeez I’m old…thanks for that trip down memory lane Victor
05 Sep 2026 22:54:11
Definitely in favour of someone like Milner. He may not be the best person for the job right now (lack of experience) but if it is his passion (which I'm not sure of - does he want to become a manager?) then I would be all for it.
I think the key prerequisite, in an ideal world, is that they are a Liverpool fan first and foremost - that would go a long way IMHO.
{Ed666's Note - How would being a Liverpool fan make a difference in persuading an owner or sporting director of another club to take less money for a player or give us favorable payment terms?
05 Sep 2026 23:09:57
Well that would rule Milner out as I think he’s a Leeds fan. ?
06 Sep 2026 00:00:33
I'm fully up for this idea. DOF in name not in the money side. Why could the DOF not be the first lead person to sit in on a deal but not lead? Works well in other industries!! Kenny used to do it at Blackburn and Keegan did it for Newcastle, selling the club the passion of the club with a legend like Stevie G can help.
Why not, I'm sure these ex players would love to help the next generation come through. In fact I'm surprised it's not a set role! Great idea
{Ed666's Note - i think what most players care about is net income and not if Robbie Fowler or Steven Gerrard is sitting across the table.
06 Sep 2026 00:40:47
666, it's the romantic in me. I'd love for all of our staff to be Liverpool fans - the longer term ones, not the players necessarily (as our friend used to say, they are just transient employees) but the rest.
I know it's unlikely, but I'm painting an ideal here!
{Ed666's Note - I hear you Kate but the romance went out of football with the advent of the Premier League. I remember before the Premier league I could go to visit my uncle and auntie in Sheffield. Sheffield United would be playing Liverpool at home and I could rock up to the ground at 2pm and buy a ticket a a decent price no problem. Impossible to do that now. I love me a some idealism but I’m afraid I’m gonna have to pee in your chips with a dose of reality.
06 Sep 2026 01:29:06
Milner is a great shout, although I can't help thinking he'd be better on the training ground than on the phone. Whoever he works for after he hangs up his boots is gonna be getting a gem of a man.
{Ed666's Note - I concur Stone Age. Milner would be equally as good in the boardroom and the training pitch .
06 Sep 2026 02:44:54
I appreciate the responses from all of you. Some guys here are stuck on the idea of Stevie G and hung up on that, but I think you're missing the point or the argument I'm trying to make.
Again this is all banter, so nobody needs to feel offended. I mentioned Stevie G as a case in point because I remember reading that he used to help recruit players those days, if memory serves me right. Anyway, the point is folks like Marc Overmars and Edwin Van Der Saar have done this kind of stuff for their club and it has worked well, I believe. Deco too. Edu too. There's probably some training involved, even though I have no idea if it's like doing badges or something. My point is if we start to groom some sharp ex-players who remain part of the game and have that level of intelligence, who says this can't work, at least on paper? Take James Milner for example, or Nat Phillips, who I believe or heard was going to attend an Ivy League school in the US before deciding to play full-time.
You just need to create room for stuff like this first and then see how it works. Many of these current DoF or Sporting Directors are ex-pros or ex-players anyways. I'm just hypothesising that there may be some kind of X-factor when they have some kind of root at Anfield rather than transplants and mercenaries like the STC and others. I'm not saying you MUST be an ex-Red to be a good LFC Sporting Director, but after enduring STC and Edwards, I don't know what's so wrong in bringing a figurehead in who has the gravitas and can surround themselves with smart folks to make some collective decisions in the best interest of the club.
Personally, I'm not confident in Ward or any of these current guys in the club like Woodfine taking over because it just feels like the vestiges of an evil regime, so I'm all for a fresh start and radical thinking.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone.
{Ed666's Note - I would go for the Bournemouth guy Pinto or the Eintracht fell Hardung I think his name is. I know either of these are unlikely for different reasons. My only solitude is that Gordan will be making this decision and he seems to be the type of man that takes on advice from experienced footballing heads and make decisions for the good of LFC. The next transfer window is poignant and the one in the summer is critical for our future
But Noski I see your point with regards ex players being stellar sporting directors case in point Van Der Sar & Overmars who are highly regarded. But I still maintain that most players are swayed by net salary and not reputations unless it’s a manager like Klopp or a Pep are involved then you might have a decision to make as a player.
Great post tho mate.
06 Sep 2026 03:28:39
Ex player or not, just get the person with the right skillset for the job. The ex-pros who you think are doing well are doing well because they have the skillset and connections. That they’re ex-pros is just one part of it.
I wouldn’t prioritize a candidate being an ex-pro for that role at all.
06 Sep 2026 05:41:38
There are many examples of this; Edu used to do it, and indeed STC is an ex-player (just not LFC).
It also works in NFL, with quite a few ex-players becoming General Manager (who makes all the decisions on budget, contract renewals, roster cuts and additions). The team I support.
Their GM was actually cut by the Bears as a new player; now he’s their GM and doing a pretty decent job - better than the last few GMs who weren’t ex-players and were terrible.
I guess my problem with a legendary ex-player or ex-manager doing it would be the risk of them harming their legacy.
06 Sep 2026 00:41:21
Its got to be ed1. He'd still need to run the site. But i'm sure he could take a few mins and run the club dealings better than that muppet
06 Sep 2026 08:22:39
As much as I love Gerrard, imagine him negotiating some transfers. He's not exactly Mr Personality.
06 Sep 2026 08:24:49
I see Martin Skrtel is currently a sporting director somewhere. When you mentioned Frankfurt, I noticed Albert Riera is now the head coach.
I’m sure the club will promote from within but the new owners may have other ideas.
06 Sep 2026 09:15:33
I'd go for a DoF who has a proven track record of being good at the job. Surely that's what would be best?
06 Sep 2026 10:03:45
I am not sure that ex-players are the answer. Yes, they may have a knack of pinpointing the elite players we need for a particular position. But I cannot imagine Stevie G or Robbie negotiating transfers. This requires a different skill set. Would I be right in thinking there would be a scouting team working under the DOF?
06 Sep 2026 11:38:32
How difficult is it to negotiate a football transfer? The DoF will have a team of people working for them to scrutinise the minutiae and the legals. I’m sure it would be a brief training course. Hughes is an ex-player. He achieved a high level of DoF employment - 2 Premier League teams.
06 Sep 2026 11:54:33
If it’s an ex player, I would go for Thiago. He speaks 4 languages, is intelligent and was a brilliant player. He knows the South American and European markets as well.
06 Sep 2026 11:59:13
Negotiations can be difficult to do well, Ron. Thankfully for us, it seems Mike Gordon is quite good at that.
The Barcola deal aside, Jurgen Klopp specifically name checks him when talking about why he decided to join us.
We need to find the best for our next DoF, one who isn't afraid of the office.
06 Sep 2026 12:00:50
I think contacts are as much a part of this as anything else, so Thiago will have excellent contacts. Milner not so much abroad, but certainly in the UK.
06 Sep 2026 12:34:46
Ron
You ask how difficult it is to negotiate a transfer. I believe in today's world it is a lot more difficult than in years gone by, with millions of pounds at stake. We hear on numerous occasions that transfers are held up due to various details which we do not hear about.
The present-day contracts, I assume, would be quite complex, which is why I believe the person negotiating them would require different skills than the people scouting the players.