Julian Ward to make Liverpool return as FSG finalise two more key appointments

Julian Ward is to return to the Liverpool fold - just 12 months after leaving his post as sporting director.

Ward has taken a position with Fenway Sports Group as technical director as the Reds owners continue the restructure of their football operations.

FSG have also appointed Pedro Marques as the director of football development. The Portuguese arrives from Benfica.

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The duo will begin their roles on June 1, and are part of the new set-up overseen by FSG chief executive of football, Michael Edwards. Edwards' own return to the Liverpool fold was confirmed in March.

Having initially rejected an approach from the Reds' owners, Edwards reconsidered after being offered a more senior role, inheriting Mike Gordon's responsibilities for the day-to-day running of the club, and is set to play a key role in FSG's multi-club ownership plans in the future.

Richard Hughes has already been appointed as Liverpool’s new sporting director, stepping down from a similar role at AFC Bournemouth after being headhunted by Edwards, with David Woodfine also returning to the club as his assistant after a year away. Meanwhile, Feyenoord boss Arne Slot will replace Jurgen Klopp as manager in the coming weeks.

Ward initially joined Liverpool as European scouting manager in 2012 before taking over as loan and pathways manager in 2015. He was promoted to assistant sporting director, underneath Edwards, in December 2020, before succeeding him 18 months later.

However, his tenure as sporting director lasted just one season, with Ward’s decision to depart the Reds made public as early as November 2022. He had played a vital role in the signings of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, along with agreeing Mohamed Salah's new contract with the club, and helped finalise the signing of Alexis Mac Allister before his exit in the summer of 2023.

Prior to joining Liverpool, Ward did work for Manchester City as South American scouting strategist between 2010 and 2012, with his time at the Etihad overlapping with Marques' own time with the Reds’ Premier League rivals.

Marques was a first-team performance analyst at the Etihad between 2010 and 2014, following six years with Sporting Lisbon. He then spent four years as global lead for football performance for the City Football Group, before joining Benfica as technical director in July 2018.

FSG have been busy restructuring their footballing operations ever since learning of Klopp’s decision to step down as Liverpool manager last November.

With his exit at the end of the season made public in January, the Reds owners have proceeded to make a number of key appointments behind the scenes, with Ward and Marques the latest pair to join as Liverpool continue to prepare for the post-Klopp era after the German’s successful nine-year reign at the club.