A former teammate of reported Liverpool sporting director candidate Jorg Schmadtke has described him as ‘a smart guy’.
The 59-year-old has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed Julian Ward in the role at Anfield, with The Telegraph going as far as to claim that he’s set to take the reins on Merseyside.
Wolfsburg manager Niko Kovac, who worked under him at the Bundesliga club and also played alongside him for Bayer Leverkusen, has spoken to ESPN (via Liverpool Echo) to share some insight on the LFC-linked executive.
The Croatian said of Schmadtke: “I played with him in Leverkusen so we were teammates and he was with me half-a-year in Wolfsburg. He’s a smart guy, nice guy, he’s a funny guy, he has a nice humour.
“Sometimes someone isn’t understanding his humour but I understood it very well so I think he has the qualities to work in the best league in the world.
“The Bundesliga is also one of the top five but everybody knows the best players, the best coaches they are in England and he is now or maybe in England.”
The 59-year-old oversaw several successful transfers during his time at Wolfsburg, notably including current Manchester United loanee Wout Weghorst.
He also worked wonders as sporting director at Alemannia Aachen in the 2000s, when the club had a spell in the Bundesliga, reached the DFB-Pokal final and even played in the UEFA Cup, a remarkable feat for a side who now play in the fourth tier in Germany.
However, some Liverpool fans may be concerned about Schmadtke’s reputation as an abrasive character, having clashed with numerous managers (including Julian Nagelsmann) during his previous roles and got into trouble with the authorities over fiery comments (Daily Mail).
He’s known not to spare referees from strong criticism, either, having once been fined for calling match officials ‘eierkoppe’ – which loosely translates as ‘eggheads’ – over a controversial penalty given against Koln during his time with the club (Daily Mail).
With Jurgen Klopp recently charged by the FA over a run-in with Paul Tierney after the 4-3 win over Tottenham (BBC Sport), the English authorities mightn’t be too enthused if he takes a major role in the Premier League.
Not that Liverpool and their supporters would care in the slightest if Schmadtke comes in at Anfield and replicates the kind of impact made by Ward’s predecessor Michael Edwards.