Liverpool Search for New Sporting Director

Liverpool have begun sounding out external candidates in their search for a new sporting director, with Brentford technical director Lee Dykes among those the club have already met.

The Anfield hierarchy are holding talks across the market, but the smart money still points inwards. Current technical director Julian Ward is understood to be a leading contender to step up and replace Richard Hughes, whose move to Al-Hilal was confirmed at the start of the month.

Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon is driving the process, weighing up whether to maintain continuity or bring in a fresh voice from outside.

Dykes has emerged as a serious external option. He has been central to Brentford’s smart recruitment and their consolidation as a Premier League club since promotion in 2021, having joined the Bees in May 2019 and helped shape a data-led, opportunistic approach to the market.

Liverpool’s admiration for Brentford does not stop there. Sporting director Phil Giles is also highly regarded within FSG, a figure seen as integral to the west London club’s rise and stability. Prising him away, though, is viewed as a far tougher task.

Talks with Dykes form part of a wider round of conversations with other external candidates as Liverpool test the landscape. The pull of Anfield is obvious, but so is the appeal of a streamlined internal handover.

The decision now sits with Gordon and FSG: double down on the structure already in place with Ward, or bet on a new architect to shape Liverpool’s next era.