Michael Edwards ‘frustration’ adds to a growing uncertainty at the top of Liverpool

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This week's Blood Red column on the situation at the executive level of Liverpool as speculation continues around Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and Arne SlotOne of the many things Fenway Sports Group was indebted to Jurgen Klopp for when he departed Liverpool was the timing of his revelation to Mike Gordon.Klopp always got on famously with FSG president Gordon and when he reiterated his intention to walk away after a tongue-in-cheek offer to name his price to stay on was made, the decision afforded the Boston-based owners time and space.Told to them in November of 2023 before the bombshell was made public in late January the following year, FSG had the opportunity to absorb the news before outlining a strategy that would see them move away from a golden period that had come to be defined by the legendary German.Stepping out from under the silhouette of such an iconic figure was never going to be straightforward but by mid-March of 2024, the owners had rolled out the directives, with a return to the Fenway fold for former sporting directors Michael Edwards and Julian Ward before a new man to occupy that role was headhunted in Bournemouth's Richard Hughes.Last week marked two years since Edwards and Hughes were confirmed as being on deck for the brave new era and what has been achieved since then is impressive.Arne Slot's side didn't just win the Premier League title in the Dutchman's debut campaign, they swaggered to it with four games to spare, eventually topping the table by 10 points.It speaks to how well Liverpool are run that they maintained such progress after the departure of an enormous, statesmanlike figure in Klopp. Neither Manchester United nor Arsenal could boast similar success after Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger exited, respectively.Football has changed since those two titans left the Premier League dugouts though, and the arrival of Hughes alongside Slot, as 'head coach', marked the beginning of a new regime at Anfield, as evidenced by their joint unveiling in the summer of 2024.The news this week that Hughes is now target for Al Hilal, however, is a curious development.

Well-sourced reports that Edwards has also become frustrated by FSG's shelving of their multi-club model is interesting, too.Edwards spoke effusively over the plan to add more clubs to the FSG stable in March of 2024 but after checks where made on Getafe, Malaga and Bordeaux, the American group have now concluded their search it seems.Where that leaves Edwards, the 'CEO of football' who has essentially became the head of the club day to day after Gordon stepped away from full-time duties in 2024, remains unclear.At a time when there are so many questions over the long-term future of Slot following a tough season that has seen the Reds lose 13 times across all competitions, the club could without further unrest at executive level.FSG's Liverpool have largely been hailed as a pillar of stability in recent years and while that has been mostly accurate, the prospect of Hughes moving to the Middle East will concern given how long it has taken them to find the right person to occupy the sporting director position.The uncertainty around the club's participation in next season's Champions League only adds to the lack of clarity this coming summer and given it took FSG months to settle on the Hughes and Slot axis, having to do it all over again so soon would be far from ideal.Hughes, for now at least, remains only part of a shortlist for Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal and there has been little else to suggest the Scot is casting admiring glances towards what would no doubt be an eye-watering salary.But given how long it took the Reds to restructure post-Klopp in 2024, having to potentially do so again, specifically in both the sporting director and head coach positions - without knowing if Champions League is on the agenda or not - presents too much chaos for an organisation that prides itself on executing the best-laid plans.And that's before the future of the man sitting at the top in Edwards is even factored into the equation.