LONDON: Liverpool have appointed Julian Ward as the club’s new sporting director.

Ward most recently served as technical director of Fenway Sports Group, the US-based majority owners of the English football giants, and replaces Richard Hughes, who stepped down from the role at the start of this month.

“The knowledge and expertise Julian brings will only enhance our football operations, while also ensuring (head coach) Andoni (Iraola) is provided with the support he requires as he continues to make such a positive impression as head coach,” FSG president Mike Gordon told Liverpool’s website on Saturday.

Ward, who first joined the Reds in 2012 to support the club’s scouting, recruitment and player development strategy, said: “Having been part of Liverpool’s football operation for more than a decade, I have a full appreciation and first-hand knowledge of the challenge that comes with the position, as well as a clear understanding of the demands and ambitions of this great club.”

Hughes’s exit came just weeks after Michael Edwards quit his role as chief executive of football.

Hughes oversaw the biggest spending spree in Liverpool’s history in last year’s summer transfer window, bringing in a clutch of stars including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike at a cost of £450 million ($611 million).

During Hughes’s two-year tenure, former manager Arne Slot led Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English league title, in 2024/25.

Last month FSG sold a nearly 40 percent stake in the Premier League giants to a consortium including Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos.