Jurgen Klopp has explained how Liverpool came to sign Darwin Nunez, while dispelling rumours that the relationship between him and Michael Edwards broke down.
During his time at Liverpool, Klopp gradually assumed more powers as manager and ultimately left with no real sporting director in place, an added responsibility that took its toll on the German.
Edwards, who is now back as CEO of Football for FSG, left his post as sporting director in 2021 before his promoted successor, Julian Ward, also departed in 2023.
There were rumours that this had been down to Klopp assuming more power in the transfer department, having previously been part of a very collaborative approach to the market.
The former Liverpool boss has now shed some light on this, saying that he has “a really good relationship” with Edwards.
Speaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Klopp commented: “Michael Edwards is absolutely great in what he is doing, but it was not in one day his job alone to bring in players.
“There were a lot of others – Julian Ward, Ian Graham – so many people that were involved – Barry Hunter – all these kind of things were involved in these kind of things.
“It was a process. We were really close together. It’s not someone sitting there and being the genius and you think, ‘Oh my God, he is available, I didn’t know him’ – it’s not. We know football players.
“Negotiating, finding the right moment to sell, finding the right moment to buy – that’s the sporting director’s job, what he (Edwards) was before.”
Asked directly if he always got on with Edwards, Klopp replied: “Yeah, I would say 100 percent and Michael definitely. ”
Jurgen Klopp was more than just the manager
Upon Ward’s exit, Liverpool appointed Jorg Schmadtke as the new sporting director, though he was only in place for two windows and seemed to be a temporary fix to take some of the burden off Klopp.
“It was all my responsibility for all the time because yes, I don’t decide money, but all the rest [of] it was in my hands from a specific moment on,” Klopp said when speaking about the period following Ward’s departure.
“There was a time there was no Richard (Hughes), no Michael, no Julian Ward. There was just me sitting there.
“On top of all the things, we had to win football games but all the rest was on my plate. It was an intense time.
“COVID changed a lot. I mean people didn’t fly as much anymore. The owners didn’t come that often over. It was like budget calls were on the phone more or less.
“We brought in Jorg Schmadtke, the German sporting director, because we didn’t have a sporting director at that time in fact.
“Julian came back but I don’t even know exactly why he left again, but these kind of things, they just happened. And the only guys who were always there were we, the coaches and the football team.”
Asked who was ‘doing the sporting director stuff’, Klopp replied: “Us and together in that one window with Jorg Schmadtke, the lawyers, the scouts.”
Jurgen Klopp explains Darwin Nunez transfer decision
The transfer that is often brought up when noting how Klopp assumed a wider role is Darwin Nunez‘s move to Liverpool.
He joined from Benfica for up to £85.36 million in 2023 but never hit the heights such a transfer fee would necessitate, scoring 40 goals in 143 appearances for the Reds.
Despite reports suggesting other figures at the club would have preferred to sign Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad or Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, Klopp claimed: “We decided it exactly like before.
“We decided it all together in that process. And yes, that’s how it is nowadays, we would have loved to sign him for less money of course but it was in that moment not possible.
“In that moment we needed a striker. We wanted to have an extra option, like we had Bobby (Firmino) always for the best false-nine in the world and now we needed somebody with a bit more speed and stuff like this…
“We had to change as well. So we had Luis Diaz, great; Cody Gakpo, great. What kind of player don’t we have?
“I thought Cody can play a little bit like Bobby: good footballer all the time but feels much better on the wing, all these kind of things.
“So yeah of course, we all signed him together. No problem to admit that it maybe didn’t work out as good as it could, but without Darwin Nunez so many things wouldn’t have happened.”
While it probably was the case that the Nunez deal was done after discussion, the Uruguayan’s name may not have even been in the hat under the previous structure.
The greater responsibility assumed by Klopp was ultimately part of why his energy ran out and he decided to leave in 2024.
It is also part of the reason why Arne Slot has the official title of Head Coach rather than manager, a first in Liverpool’s history.
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