Johnny Phillips: Sporting director role is fast becoming a key job
The role of the sporting director came into sharp focus this week with the news that Fenway Sports Group have brought in Michael Edwards as their new chief executive of football, in what appears to be an advancement of a key position at football clubs.
It is a second coming for a man who oversaw the most successful period in Liverpool’s recent history, assembling the squad that won the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2020, identifying players such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane as the players to build a team around.
Liverpool were not the only clubs looking at Edwards for a senior technical role. Chelsea and Manchester United also held talks with him about postings that involved running their football operations.
In recent years, the role of sporting director – or similarly titled jobs – has become particularly important.
How much of this is down to performance and how much is merely about self- promotion?
There is no arguing that, done properly, the job can be key to the success of a football club.
But we have also seen the rise of the celebrity sporting director with figures such as Victor Orta at Leeds United a typical example of what happens when an ego gets a platform to perform.
