Liverpool Rumours 4

27 Sep 2026 10:38:13
🚨 Julian Ward on his plans after becoming Liverpool's new Sporting Director:

🎙️ "The first thing I want to do is make sure #LFC never enter another transfer window without knowing exactly what we need."

"I've already spoken to Andoni. We have to build a squad that suits his football. Players who can run, press, fight for every ball and still have the quality to decide games."

"I'll also be looking at contracts. If a player is important to Liverpool, we shouldn't wait until he has 12 months left before starting negotiations."

"And yes, there will be signings. But I'm not interested in signing players simply because they are available or because everyone on social media wants them. We need players who fit Liverpool."

"I know the club, I know the structure and I know what is expected of this position. I'm not coming back to start another project from scratch. I'm coming back to make sure Liverpool's next project is built properly."

"And if there's a midfielder somewhere in Europe who Liverpool have been monitoring for three years "

Ward pauses.

" we'll probably try to sign him.".

27 Sep 2026 10:42:59
Sounds good.

27 Sep 2026 11:05:52
Good on him - he's not only managed to explain what the job entails he has laid out what he needs to do to make the job wo4k for the club.

Not a bad start at all.

And did ya see @Ronf, did ya, did ya see, he's going to buy a midfielder.

27 Sep 2026 11:11:43
Well said Julian!

27 Sep 2026 11:12:36
Finally Zielinski?

27 Sep 2026 11:27:55
A real swipe and Edwards and Hughes. That's all I need to hear.

27 Sep 2026 11:51:02
This is so basic it makes you wonder what the brief was for his predecessor. Good on him for speaking but as Jari says it feels like a swipe at Hughes and co.

27 Sep 2026 12:04:09
Lets hope he lasts longer than 6 or 7 months this time.

27 Sep 2026 12:08:47
That's brilliant to hear from him 👏.

27 Sep 2026 12:21:35
With all that's happened in mind, does this mean that Alonso would have actually been first choice, if it was not for Edwards?

I think Andoni is the right choice, and also that Alonso may still one day manage LFC, since they are both young managers.

Ward is saying all the right things, and my sense is that Andoni is a better judge of players (that suit his system) than any previous LFC managers. i'm not saying he's better than any previous managers, just that he has 2020 vision when it comes to knowing who will best suit his tactics, methods and ability to improve players.

27 Sep 2026 11:33:28
Just what exactly has been going on behind the scenes regarding transfers?

27 Sep 2026 11:42:45
I saw this all over social media but with no source? Does anyone know if it's actually real. Could not see anywhere who did the interview.

27 Sep 2026 12:35:51
Sadly this isn't real.

27 Sep 2026 13:19:28
I couldn't find this anywhere credible too so I am inclined to believe that it was made up. Imo, it's created by someone on the Internet who has too much free time on their hands.

27 Sep 2026 12:39:25
Where did he say this?

I can only find it on a fan twitter account which routinely uses AI to generate statements that are attributed to real people. I hope this is a joke and this site does not become flooded with this guff.

27 Sep 2026 14:19:17
More fake quotes from Twitter accounts. Check your sources guys.

27 Sep 2026 15:51:47
I think you'll find this is tosh.

27 Sep 2026 16:02:28
It definitely is not right. It would be slating past management and the last line would be outlandish.

27 Sep 2026 17:07:04
Promising. But I'd prefer him to walk the walk than talk the talk. Eyes on January.

27 Sep 2026 16:52:16
Thin white duke. I hope you do t think we should have gone for Alonso over IA!

27 Sep 2026 19:48:49
With respect, I reckon that everyone that posts on here would have put out a similar statement. It's promising but just simple common sense, which proves what a debacle it was.

27 Sep 2026 20:06:19
If it's true or made up, it's what is needed in this role.

27 Sep 2026 21:19:29
This fake crap quoting people on twitter is very very annoying. People need to be banned on twitter.

28 Sep 2026 07:58:29
I was king to say this reads as untrue .there is no way he would be so blunt in first presser getting a new job.

28 Sep 2026 15:33:48
Sounds like absolute bs to be honest, most likely fan-made nonsense, this is not how suits talk, no chance is a Director who just got the job going to come out the gate admitting the club 'didn't have a transfer plan.' There's a few gullible Garys on here alright, you've been taken for fools I think.

29 Sep 2026 04:33:49
Phew, thank Gid we have someone to blame!

26 Sep 2026 21:36:45
Bit of a pipe dream but If the FA did the right thing and really throw the book at City we should go all out for Elliot Anderson. He is just going to get better and just the number 6 we need.

26 Sep 2026 23:43:22
The FA? Nothing to do with it. The PL.

27 Sep 2026 00:52:05
I think some people are missing the point about City and the repercussions of the findings of the independent panel.

27 Sep 2026 06:39:58
He's just OK in my mind, good games and bad. Lacks consistency. Poor for England.

27 Sep 2026 13:48:54
Metro Red
Just ok? Watch him properly mate. He's a generational talent, the kid is quality.

27 Sep 2026 14:33:22
Chrisy - I'm with Metro on this.
Bang average last night.

He's Neat & Tidy but no where near Rodri's quality.
But hell no doubt be outstanding next season for City in the championship!!😉.

27 Sep 2026 17:10:58
Im not usually one to defend £100M players, but I do feel the comments are a bit harsh. He was very good yesterday against the best midfield in the world. Is he worth the price; no, but he's one of the best English midfielders. Maybe Rice/Wharton better.

28 Sep 2026 08:01:58
It is difficult to know what is right. In some ways I think it ruins sporting integrity if they are relegated as they can play weak teams in the league affecting European places but also relegation, which will strengthen their position for the cups.

I think the following would be fair:
A 35 point deduction for this season
Then a 9 or 12 point deduction for the next two seasons
And a 5 window transfer ban.

I think this would maintain sporting integrity and generally set the club back a few years.

28 Sep 2026 09:48:07
He's good at running. That's it.

28 Sep 2026 18:12:21
IMO England only have 2 world class players (ones that would get into a world squad - note the mention of squad not team so in a 26 rather than an 11). One of those is bearing his end the other is Bellingham.

Anderson is and again IMO won't be not in that class. He's ok he works very hard as he did v Spain but he rarely knows what to do with the ball - or at least it looks that way - once he wins it.

26 Sep 2026 20:12:24
Is Rio leaving?!

26 Sep 2026 22:38:57
Yeah he's heading back to Liverpool.

27 Sep 2026 00:54:02
" Monday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins " as that band would have it.

27 Sep 2026 10:43:45
Good one WDW.

27 Sep 2026 17:53:53
Rip leaving? Not sure but he's definitely dancing in the sand.

26 Sep 2026 18:09:18
Which Mancheaty players shall we target?

26 Sep 2026 19:51:39
don't look back in anger.. i heard them say..

27 Sep 2026 00:06:20
Stay humble? Didn't one of them quip that out as well.

27 Sep 2026 10:09:16
Get Semenyo, at last.

27 Sep 2026 20:19:45
Nope, don't want any of them at my club.

26 Sep 2026 09:14:39
We love to buy a player from a relegated team.
Who from City would you be buying? The players wouldn't even need to move house.

26 Sep 2026 09:23:28
If we could finally get Semenyo I'd be happy.

26 Sep 2026 09:26:46
Elliot Anderson he would sort our midfield out.

26 Sep 2026 09:32:40
Semenyo, Anderson, Haaland.

Wonder what Gakpo would be thinking if he had made the move.

26 Sep 2026 09:44:47
Anderson would elevate us to title contenders I think.

26 Sep 2026 10:43:44
I would hope we get Semenyo, Elliot Anderson and Josko Gvardiol.

26 Sep 2026 10:44:28
Pep Ljinders.

26 Sep 2026 10:46:51
I would laugh if Chelsea signed Enzo back for 50m!

26 Sep 2026 11:15:30
Lindjers is with Klopp.

26 Sep 2026 11:17:05
Semenyo seems the obvious one for me.
I wonder if any of them will stay actually stay on if they are relegated a league or even a few leagues.

26 Sep 2026 11:34:14
Has to be Anderson, everything we need in midfield. I was gutted we didn't try in the summer and gave city a free run at him.

26 Sep 2026 11:42:00
Anderson Semenyo and that 18 year old midfielder they just signed.

26 Sep 2026 12:20:28
Don't get your hopes up too much boys!

I can see a scenario where they'll get a 40 - 45 point penalty giving them a fighting chance of staying up, massive financial fine which won't be an issue for them & say a 3 year transfer ban! And that's WHEN this is resolved!! Might be a good few seasons down the line yet!

26 Sep 2026 13:23:22
Very true it could take a couple of years. Makes me think though, who would want to continue playing for city knowing what's coming? And who would want to join them now?
Even with no sanctions yet, the black cloud hanging over them is going to screw them in the short term as well.

26 Sep 2026 13:31:11
Not that I think it would be possible but Anderson, Bouaddi and Gvardiol would be most useful to us at this moment in time.

26 Sep 2026 19:26:33
Haaland has already said he wants to leave at the end of the season apparently, so rats abandoning a sinking ship.

27 Sep 2026 00:23:46
The sanctions have to be now. City cannot drag this out for more years. That's unacceptable. City need to be relegated and the owners booted out of the Premier League.

27 Sep 2026 09:28:04
Liverpool won't be signing any of the City squad.

27 Sep 2026 10:13:55
Semenyo for RW. Maybe Gvardiol for LB or LCB if VVD was to not get another contract.

I like Anderson too but I think he'd be super overpriced.

27 Sep 2026 11:03:02
Would it be a good look for the club bringing in a bunch of players from a disgraced club? I assume it would be a hard sell for our PR department.

27 Sep 2026 13:15:51
Guehi and semenyo. The 2 we shouldn't have let city get.

27 Sep 2026 20:20:28
None for me. I despise the stench of cheating and corruption.

24 Sep 2026 07:05:17
Hi Ed's, any truth to Julian Ward. Becoming our new Sporting Director?
If so what are your thoughts on this. I recall you saying Hughes and Edwards would be a disaster hopefully if Ward is true you have a more positive outlook?

{Ed001's Note - I am not sure how anyone would know if Ward was the choice. There would be no secret meetings to be spotted or anything as Ward is already there in regular meetings! The choice of Ward would mean probably one of two things.

Either it is a stopgap as they are intending to sell up sooner rather than later and hand over to the new consortium to bring in their own long term solution to the club's set up.

Or they are reverting to a system where the manager/head coach has more control over transfers.

Either way it should be a major step forward over the Edwards/Hughes era, Ward will listen to Iraola and I doubt he will be looking to buy for his ego with big money star players over building a balanced squad. He certainly didn't do so when working with Klopp, he worked towards what Klopp wanted, with choices discussed and approved together. So any unbalance at that time was down to Klopp rather than him and he was not driven by his ego to want signings to make himself look good by bringing in superstars over what the manager felt he needed.}

24 Sep 2026 19:47:58
Julian Ward was reportedly one of the most vocal figures within the club regarding Arne Slot's reluctance to utilise academy talent.
It is understood that these concerns emerged relatively early in the season, with Ward questioning whether Liverpool's growing focus on recruiting elite young prospects was aligned with a first-team environment where pathways for youth promotion appeared limited.


The concerns were reportedly raised with Michael Edwards, with the argument that significant investment in young talent would become increasingly difficult to justify if opportunities at senior level remained scarce.
This was reported on the Anfield voice back in June.

25 Sep 2026 00:19:42
It appears the triumvirate of Slot/Edwards/Hughes was toxic.

25 Sep 2026 05:06:54
What toxin was it they used?

25 Sep 2026 07:49:00
Definitely didn't use laughing gas.

25 Sep 2026 08:56:14
I used laughing gas to get me through last season.

25 Sep 2026 11:56:18
Whoever comes in has a clear set of objectives.

1) Rio, Virgil, Alisson contracts
2) Figuring out the midfield and right-back puzzles
3) Selling those players Iraola doesn't want to use
4) Figure out how to give the young talent we have invested in a pathway to the first team.

25 Sep 2026 09:52:53
U would be happy enough with ward then ed1?

{Ed001's Note - yes, I think so. There is no perfect option out there, but I believe he will work well with Iraola and also he very much champions the youth players. That is important to have someone who will take the time to look and see what we have there before spending 100m on our 9th left winger.}

25 Sep 2026 15:16:03
Ed, it'd be cool to know what you'd have done prior to summer 2025 with the transfer outlay. I'm not asking you to be a sporting director and explain who you would have gone for etc, but rather which of the signings would you not have gone for? I know you were a big fan of Wirtz at the time (as was I and still am), but how about the rest?
I was a big fan of Isak but the price was silly.

Frimpong was a confusing signing I still don't understand. Ekitike is a good player but, again, we spent a huge amount on him. Leoni could turn out to be a fantastic signing, but again he wasn't cheap. Kerkez I was happy with but I'd have preferred a slightly more two-footed player.

{Ed001's Note - I would have gone for Kayode rather than Frimpong and I wouldn't have signed Isak, even though I rated him. To be fair I probably would not have gone for Ekitike either, which looks like I would have been wrong about, but I would have gone for strikers who press. Leoni and Kerkez I was very happy with personally, though I did have worries about Kerkez's fitness as he was always going down with cramp near the end of games. There is not a lot of left-back options though, it is a very small pool for those!

I didn't understand the signing of Frimpong, though I do think he comes across as a lovely lad and he did win me over with his obvious desire to play for us. He had barely ever played at right-back or as a right-sided forward, so it was a strange signing to take on a specialist wing-back when we don't play with them.

My biggest issue was always the prices paid. Everyone was top dollar, which made it impossible to bring in everything needed. Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture and we needed a rebuild, you can't do that when every player is top end cost. You have to have your Andy Robertsons to balance it out when you build a side, but we just bought big names at top prices. It is not a good way to work.}

25 Sep 2026 16:16:40
Its good to know ed you wouldn't have gone for isak.
I still can say this drop isak and we will see the best from wirtz.

{Ed001's Note - I would also drop Isak. But he scores goals so I can see why he plays,

25 Sep 2026 17:04:36
Fantastic, Ed. Thanks.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate.

25 Sep 2026 17:09:02
Thanks for the reply ed, it sounds like Ward would be a sensible choice.

{Ed001's Note - it certainly looks that way.

25 Sep 2026 18:05:11
I can't argue with that ed001. He indeed has scored goals but he stiffles out so many of our moves. i'd rather unleash barcola and gackpo from flanks and play wirtz like bobby.

And shore the midfield with 3.
But isak has a price tag and i guess very difficult to bench him. But he definitely comes in the way of how iraola would want this team to play.

{Ed001's Note - I would give Koumas a chance, but understandable that he will instead be a regular sub.}

26 Sep 2026 05:54:17
Isaks goal last night is why he plays.

24 Sep 2026 13:24:40
Rumours circulating this morning of a return for Morton. Apparently his form in France is drawing attention from lots of top clubs, and we're interested in bringing him back.

24 Sep 2026 16:12:14
Problem is we didn't put in a buyback in the sale.

24 Sep 2026 18:21:51
If we did have a buy back and we bought him back do we get the percentage of the buyback of us??

24 Sep 2026 20:22:01
IIRC, we did have a sell on of x% so any purchase will be that percentage cheaper for us.

24 Sep 2026 22:15:10
What utter nonsense. Morton is not the level of midfielder we are looking to recruit.

24 Sep 2026 23:26:29
%sell on fees is typically only if if the club sells to someone else not back to you. So will have no relevance to us.

25 Sep 2026 05:08:48
We didn't put a buy back in because it was felt by the club, and a considerable numbers of posters on this very forum, that he wasn't good enough.

25 Sep 2026 05:29:18
He was let go for a reason. He wasn't good enough and he wouldn't get in to our first team if brought back.

24 Sep 2026 13:12:56
An interesting article from Lewis Steele (unfortunately in the Daily Fail) about the recent youth recruitment drive, led by Matt Newbury, Director of Global Talent.

Look at the young talent that we have on the books:

GK: Lucca Brughmans, Zach Trinder
RB:?
CB: Mor Talla Ndiaye, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Dara Jikiemi
LB:?
CM: Samuel Martinez, Trey Nyoni, Luca Eden
RW: Josh Abe
LW: Rio Ngumoha
ST: Djylian N'Guessan, Will Wright

I wonder whether it will be young fullbacks we'll be moving for next - ahem Daniel Banjaqui!

Obviously the likes of Jacquet, Leoni, Kerkez, McConnell, Koumas etc are all young too.

The big question is, what is their pathway to the first team?

24 Sep 2026 13:53:24
Same pathway as it's always been - if they're better than the first team squad of players they get a spot - Fowler, Owen, Stevie, Trent etc - the pathway follows the talent

Flip side is we are modelling Chelsea and we're breeding a sales factory, not a feed the first team factory 🤷‍♂️

Final thought - buying £100 million plus players each window is not sustainable so maybe developing the next one in house is also worth a try.

24 Sep 2026 14:15:56
I do love how even at youth level we can't recruit at DM or RB.

24 Sep 2026 14:47:51
Fowler_9 - there might be some good ones in the academy to be fair. I don't follow it enough to know.

I know that we tried our hardest to get Kennet Eichhorn in the summer who is a DM. He ended up staying in Germany and joining Leverkusen in the end. Perhaps we will keep an eye on him.

Our interest in Banjaqui is well documented. The issue now is that much like Yann Diomande, all the big clubs are after him.

24 Sep 2026 14:48:41
Iraola has a tendency to develop and blend young players into the first team.

24 Sep 2026 19:10:44
"Same pathway as it's always been - if they're better than the first team squad of players they get a spot - Fowler, Owen, Stevie, Trent etc - the pathway follows the talent"

Sadly this is FAR from the truth, many managers do not trust in the youth.

24 Sep 2026 20:22:58
Slot didn't, Iraola does.

25 Sep 2026 05:16:28
The 'pathway' is a nice visual but is irrelevant. Kiddies are assessed for what they are, as kiddies playing football, but more so for the potential to kick on (see what I did there) to be top class players as adults. There's no guarantee, no specific pathway, that a 15 year old kid will make the grade. Of course some do, most don't

I'm a little surprised that this one is doing the rounds, again, to be honest - last week Koumas, O'Connell, Ngumoha and Nyoni all played for the first team, having shown in training that they were ready to play for the first team.

24 Sep 2026 01:52:00
Following up on my post from a few weeks ago: the consortium plans to exercise its end-of-year option to acquire a majority stake in LFC, subject to FSG's right of first refusal.

The round will bring in additional investors. The consortium is currently marketing the deal to a select group of high-net-worth individuals, with a minimum commitment of $250M.

24 Sep 2026 03:58:03
I'll think about it.

24 Sep 2026 07:48:26
Are we going to end up with Saudi sports washing petro dollars combined with the exploitive Bezos?
How will that go down with the left leaning, working class supporters in the city?

24 Sep 2026 11:42:12
Fine so long as we win the PL and CL @Starseeker. Sad but true.

24 Sep 2026 13:01:35
On second thoughts I don't think Saudi will get involved because of multi club ownership rules. They have also pulled out of LIV golf and sold their shares in Al Hilal. They are probably preparing for the 2034 World Cup. A world cup that they has been awarded without a bidding process.

24 Sep 2026 15:28:54
The people that I know who've been approached so far are American billionaires.

24 Sep 2026 16:15:27
As long as the club is well ran and the fans are always part of decisions and the club keeps moving forwards both on and off the pitch I really don't care who holds the keys.

24 Sep 2026 22:18:37
The very "left leaning" supporters who embraced the PL sky money and likely subscribed to Sky Sports? It's all virtue signalling BS, and the type to shout out their concerns yet celebrate when we spend 120 million (plus extras) on a player, and call out for more to meet their desired. My personal principles are that the game finished on the inception of the PL, but sky example is one of many surrounding the game, and ultimately showing how hypocritical supporters are.

27 Sep 2026 09:36:30
They are just hypocrites aren't they, just like us, who conveniently brush things under the carpet because we want Liverpool to win.