Michael Edwards has agreed to return to Liverpool. The Englishman will be in charge of all football operations at FSG and will appoint Bournemouth's Richard Hughes as sporting director at the end of the season.
Here is what the 44-year-old will have to do next.
1. Find a successor to Klopp. Xabi Alonso is the leading candidate to take over from Jurgen Klopp after the end of the season. Edwards will have to move fast to secure signing the Spaniard, considering that Bayern are trying to steal the Reds' march on him. Alternatively, he'll have to reach an agreement with another tactician.
2. Make Salah decision. Liverpool will be braced with a huge decision to make on Mohamed Salah. Saudi clubs are reportedly willing to pay astronomical fees to sign him but the Egyptian remains Liverpool's most effective player up front. He has only a year left on his contract, so Edwards will have to decide whether the club wants to extend his stay or 'do a Coutinho' and earn a lot of money through his sale.
3. Renew other important contracts. It's not only Salah whose deal is up in the summer of 2025. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk also have their contracts expiring next year. Negotiations are better be held sooner than later.
4. Solve Thiago dilemma. Liverpool have one of the best midfielders in the world on their payroll but he barely plays due to injuries — just a few minutes this season. Thiago's contract expires this summer and Edwards, under whose watch the Spaniard was signed back in 2020, will have to decide whether the midfielder gets a new deal or leaves on free agency.
5. Determine summer transfer targets. The summer is only three months away and Edwards will have to decide which players Liverpool will try to sign. Fortunately, the existing scouting team will make recommendations: for example, Marc Guehi has been linked as a Joel Matip replacement.
