Liverpool is expected to complete its first summer signing before the transfer window opens.
Jorg Schmadtke is set to take over as Liverpool’s next sporting director.
Jorg Schmadtke will be appointed as Liverpool’s new sporting director.
The German is expected to accept a short-term contract at Anfield and replace Julian Ward, who has decided to quit his position after only one year.
Schmadtke left Wolfsburg in January and knows Reds manager Jurgen Klopp well. Klopp, though, stressed that their relationship is not the reason Schmadtke will get the job. “If it happens, it will not be a Jurgen Klopp signing because we are both German or know each other,” he stated before last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. That has nothing to do with it. That is something I can say.
“Jorg Schmadtke, I have known for a long, long time. He knows me probably not as long as I know him, because he was a much better player, but we started in a similar moment our second career. I became a coach at Mainz and he became sporting director at Aachen — two teams of similar status so from there we know each other a little bit.
“I know he is a good guy and a smart guy. Very good at what he did in Germany, definitely, very successful. His character is good, his personality is good, his humour is good. I know that from a few moments next to the pitch.”
Schmadtke’s first assignment will be to assist Liverpool in their summer recruitment campaign. With the Reds certain to miss out on Champions League qualification, the forthcoming transfer window will be crucial in ensuring they can compete for honours again next season.
After the exits of James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Liverpool will aim to improve their midfield. Brighton’s Alex MacAllister, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, and Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch are all targets.
