Liverpool are beginning to emerge from a turbulent period that saw the club put up for sale and then confirmation arriving that sporting director Julian Ward and director of research Ian Graham are to leave their roles.
Graham will hand over to William Spearman — an internal promotion — while the process to replace Ward is now under way and in its early stages.
Among the names strongly considered was Paul Mitchell, the Monaco sporting director who French newspaper L’Equipe recently reported had rejected a contract extension.
However, the Englishman is expected to continue at Monaco — and has been tasked by their president with recruiting a successor — ahead of his terms expiring at the latest in June 2024.
The current state of flux at many of Europe’s top sides, and the prospect of vacancies arising across the continent, is an additional factor that Mitchell is sure to be conscious of.
Another potential candidate attracting interest at Anfield is Eintracht Frankfurt’s sporting CEO Markus Krosche. The 42-year-old German switched to the Bundesliga side in 2021 from RB Leipzig, signing a deal that is scheduled to run until 2025, and has forged an impressive reputation within the game.
Since his arrival, Eintracht have won the Europa League and are in the last-16 of this season’s Champions League, where they face Napoli on Tuesday.
The task of filling the void left by Ward may have only just begun, but Liverpool will hope that it is another piece in the jigsaw of restoring their fortunes after a challenging campaign.