Michael Edwards leaves Liverpool as Richard Hughes also set to exit Anfield

Michael Edwards has left his role as Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of football, marking his second departure from Liverpool, with a year still remaining on his contract. The exit compounds a turbulent summer at Anfield, where sporting director Richard Hughes — appointed by Edwards — is also expected to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

Edwards, widely credited as one of the architects of Liverpool’s modern transfer success, had informed FSG president Mike Gordon last autumn that he intended to leave. He served out his notice period before departing, having grown frustrated that the role was not evolving in the direction either he or FSG had envisaged. Without a desire to step back into a pure sporting director function, he chose to move on entirely.

His return to Anfield in 2024 had been tied partly to FSG’s ambitions to expand into a multi-club ownership model. The group explored deals for approximately 25 clubs, including Malaga and Bordeaux, but ultimately opted against any acquisition. With that strategic avenue closed, Edwards found his remit narrowing.

With both Edwards and Hughes now set to leave, Gordon is expected to assume a more direct role in Liverpool’s football operations. The departures come at a sensitive moment for the club, which sacked Arne Slot after a disappointing 2025-26 season — despite him having won the Premier League in his first campaign — and replaced him with Andoni Iraola, formerly of Bournemouth.

During the Edwards-Hughes era, Liverpool broke the British transfer record by signing Alexander Isak for £125m and spent close to £550m in total. That outlay brought in Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Giovanni Leoni, and this summer’s additions Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz.

The simultaneous loss of the two most senior figures in Liverpool’s football structure raises pressing questions about continuity and decision-making authority heading into a pivotal transfer window.