Former Arsenal man linked with taking over major role at Liverpool

Liverpool are currently in the market for a new sporting director following the news last week that Julian Ward would be leaving the role at the end of the season and a candidate has already emerged to potentially take the lead role.

The Athletic reported last week that Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward will step down at the end of the season having taken over from Michael Edwards at the start of the current campaign.

Ward has informed the owners of the Merseyside club that he wants to take a break from football and will also be joined by research director Ian Graham, who will also leave the Reds at the end of the season, reports The Athletic.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will search for replacements for the pair, and it will be particularly interesting to see who the club turns to to replace Ward, as the candidate has already emerged for the role.

According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, who has close ties to Jurgen Klopp’s agent, former Borussia Dortmund chief scout Sven Mislintat is a candidate for the sporting director job at Anfield and would be open to meeting Klopp.

excl. #Mislintat News: He is a candidate to replace Ward as Sports Director in the #LFC in summer 2023! There are still no concrete negotiations, but it is open for Liverpool. Relationship with Klopp is still brilliant. They have worked together in Dortmund (08-15). @Sky_Marc @SkySportDE ?? pic.twitter.com/ZZ1bXAY5tr

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) November 30, 2022

Earlier on Wednesday, Stuttgart announced that Mislintat would step down as sporting director at the Bundesliga club after three and a half years, without reaching a new contract.

This opens the way for a meeting with Jurgen Klopp, as the two worked together at Borussia Dortmund between 2008 and 2015, with Plettenberg adding that their relationship is still “brilliant”.