Former Liverpool movement guru Ian Graham has revealed that there was no shortage of discussions during his time with the Reds as they struggled to sign the world’s most productive players.
The former Anfield chief information officer stepped down from his role in 2022 after more than a decade in the role, bringing up a long-overdue replacement, and he stepped down in May 2023. Graham, who is now founder of sports consultancy Ludonautics, had been a longer pillar than even Jurgen Klopp, who left his coaching post last season.
Recent years have seen a revamp in Liverpool’s movements department, with Michael Edwards stepping down as director in 2022 before his successor Julian Ward left 12 months later and Jorg Schmadtke proving to be a transitional option for Klopp’s final season at the helm.
Edwards returned to the club as general director of football following the German manager’s resignation, and Richard Hughes became sporting director. Graham noted that the formula was not harmonious and that arguments arose through the egos involved.
“I can’t speak for Michael or Julian, but I needed a change,” he told The Athletic. “I’m not going to pretend that everything has been harmonious and kind at Liverpool. We’ve had discussions, of course, there’s been big egos and I agree with that.
“It’s hard to keep the momentum going for 11 years when there are heated arguments. Sooner or later we get tired. Everyone at the club wants to be successful, but we have other ideas.
“I think I could keep working longer than Michael, but after about nine months I said to myself, ‘Now I can see what Michael said when he said it was time to rest. ‘It’s still a lot of fun to paint with Michael. – it’s not easy yet, a laugh.
“After 11 years in my dream job, I had achieved what I wanted to achieve: to have a tangible effect on the fortunes of one of the biggest clubs in the world. We were the first insiders of the Premier. service League and I went from just me to a branch of 8 really competent people. It was the right thing to do to pass the baton and allow others to progress in their careers.
Graham also claimed that relations between his branch of knowledge and the controlling workplace had come a long way with Klopp’s arrival at the club. However, things have not been easy with Brendan Rodgers.
He explained: “In the early years of the move-in committee, failed signings were mainly due to the players we were looking to bring Brendan in were banned,” Graham explains. “And we vetoed the ones that Brendan intended to propose. Then we discovered players from the 5th or 6th national team. We simply did not achieve our main objectives.
“The difference is Jurgen’s open-mindedness,” Graham added. “The knowledge has become increasingly more complicated and the models have improved, but there was no dramatic change in the quality of our research when Brendan left and Jurgen arrived.
“It’s the same processes and the same people. Jurgen saw the players in the same way as Michael Edwards, while Brendan didn’t. “
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