One journalist has claimed that Michael Edwards could ‘pull a rabbit out of the hat’ when it comes to appointing the next Liverpool manager.
The Reds are still on the lookout for Jurgen Klopp’s successor to take over in the summer, with Xabi Alonso a leading candidate from the start.
However, speaking on ESPN FC, Mark Ogden believes that LFC’s new CEO of Football will spring a ‘surprise’ in the managerial search, much like he did by overseeing signings such as Andy Robertson and Gini Wijnaldum on ‘low fees’.
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The journalist said: “Michael Edwards going back is a really significant move because I think there could be a surprise. Alonso is obviously the fans’ favourite and he ticks all the right boxes, but I think Michael Edwards is going to go for something different.”
He added of the Liverpool chief: “I’ve been told he’s one of the most connected people in the game. He knows the players and the coaches who are coming through. He could pick up the phone to this guy or that guy.
“He knows six months before everybody else who the players and the coaches are, which is why I think that he’ll pull a rabbit out of the hat with the new coach and it’ll be a surprise.”
As Ogden rightly pointed out, Edwards boasts an exceptional knowledge of people within football and doesn’t always pursue the low-hanging fruit in the market, fully trusting his judgement when it comes to identifying transfer targets who mightn’t be ‘marquee’ names.
The same could materialise in Liverpool’s manager search, even if some fans may feel that anyone other than Alonso at this moment in time would be an anti-climax.
If the club’s CEO of Football has the same sharp eye for the right coach in the same way that he’s so often had with bringing players to Anfield, we’ve every faith that whichever appointment is ultimately made will be an astute one.
You can view Ogden’s comments below (from 1:10), via ESPN UK on YouTube: