Liverpool's Search for a New Sporting Director: Internal vs External Candidates
Liverpool are weighing up a familiar choice in unfamiliar times: stay in-house, or break from tradition.
The club have begun speaking to external candidates as part of their search for a new sporting director, with Brentford technical director Lee Dykes among those to have held talks. His name is on the list. He is not alone.
Yet the mood at Anfield points in a different direction.
Ward in pole position as FSG look inward
Those close to the process believe Liverpool are inclined to promote from within, with current technical director Julian Ward viewed as a leading contender to replace Richard Hughes, whose move to Al-Hilal was confirmed at the start of the month.
Ward already knows the corridors, the people, the data systems, the demands. An internal appointment would preserve continuity at a time when the club can ill afford another major reset behind the scenes.
Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon is driving the search, as he has done with some of Liverpool’s most significant off-pitch appointments in the past. His involvement underlines how central this decision is to the next phase of the project.
Brentford’s model under the microscope
Liverpool’s interest in Dykes is no accident. Since arriving at Brentford in May 2019, he has been a central figure in the club’s rise and consolidation as a Premier League side, helping to turn smart recruitment and clear-eyed decision-making into top-flight stability after promotion in 2021.
His work has not gone unnoticed. Nor has that of Brentford sporting director Phil Giles, who is also admired at Anfield. Both men are seen as architects of a model that punches above its financial weight, one that many clubs study but few replicate.
Tempting Giles away from west London, though, is expected to be difficult. Brentford value him highly, and he is deeply embedded in their structure and long-term planning.
External talks, internal pull
FSG have held conversations with other external candidates as well as Dykes, casting the net wide before committing to a final decision. The club want fresh perspectives on the market, on succession planning, on how best to evolve a squad that has already gone through one major rebuild.
Yet every indication suggests the gravitational pull remains internal. Ward’s candidacy offers stability and alignment with existing processes at a moment when Liverpool are trying to refresh without losing their edge.
The talks with Dykes and others show Liverpool are scanning the horizon. The growing expectation that the answer may lie in-house shows they still trust the foundations they have already laid.
