Michael Edwards has quit his position as CEO of Football at Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool, sparking chaos inside FSG during the summer transfer window
Michael Edwards has quit his role as chief executive officer of Football at Fenway Sports Group, leaving Liverpool.
Edwards has long been credited with securing a number of Liverpool's excellent pieces of transfer business in recent years. He was a crucial figure in building the side that saw Jurgen Klopp deliver Liverpool's first Premier League in 2020. They had also won the Champions League 12 months prior and his departure was seen as a blow.
FSG president Mike Gordon will now take up more day-to-day control of Liverpool after they failed to persuade Edwards to leave despite him having one year left on his contract.
A statement from Edwards said: "It has been a privilege to return to Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool Football Club at such an important moment. I leave believing Liverpool is in a strong position, with outstanding people, a clear direction and the foundations in place for continued success.
“When I returned, I was excited not only by the opportunity to help guide Liverpool through an important period of transition, but also by the chance to help shape FSG’s wider football ambitions.
"While that broader project ultimately evolved differently to how we had originally envisaged, I am proud of the work our team undertook in presenting ownership with a broad range of thoughtful and well-developed options for the future.
"I’d like to thank Mike, John (Henry), Tom (Werner) and everyone across FSG and Liverpool for their support and friendship and, most importantly, the supporters, whose passion makes this club so special. I will always be grateful to have been part of its story.”
When Edwards made his comeback, his control stretched well beyond Liverpool and into broadening FSG's football empire. They took a close look at 25 different clubs with Edwards keen on embracing a multi-club model - which is presently employed by Manchester City.
Getafe, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Malaga were amongst the sides FSG weighed up, but in the end they withdrew from completing any transactions. The prospect of acquiring a second team down the line hasn't been dismissed, though FSG has kept pumping funds into Liverpool and smashed the British transfer record on two occasions last summer.
Liverpool's sole pair of Premier League crowns - in 2020 and subsequently in 2025 - have both arrived with Edwards wielding some form of influence.
Hughes' deal is set to run out in the summer of 2027 and he has only recently installed Andoni Iraola as head coach following Arne Slot's sacking at the close of May.