Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes in trouble at Liverpool as ‘AI dependence’ revealed
Arne Slot will not be the only figure at Liverpool coming under pressure from the club’s catastrophic run of nine defeats in 12 matches.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen and Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness who, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, thinks chief executive Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes also need to take their share of the responsibility for the club’s poor form.
Slot is coming under pressure at Liverpool, as the Merseyside club currently sit 12th in the Premier League table despite harbouring ambitions to retain their title.
Liverpool won the Premier League crown by 10 points last campaign, but they have lost six of their 12 matches this season.
Arne Slot could ‘be off the hook’ at Liverpool
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool in 2024 changed the club’s way of doing transfers.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Edwards and Hughes will be coming under scrutiny from the ownership.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Well, you know, this is interesting. I think there’s a bit more of a complex story behind this.
“Look, Klopp was definitely a very big figure and was intimately involved in a lot of the player signings and getting the squad together. And I think Michael Edwards at that time sort of felt he didn’t have the control.
“And when Klopp left, it seems to me that Edwards jumped into that power vacuum and decided he was not only going to recruit the manager, i.e. Arne Slot, but he was going to be running everything. And Richard Hughes came in with him as well.
“Now, it’s often the case of, you know, be careful what you wish for, because now he is the one that has got full responsibility for what’s happened. And so, yes, I do think there’s going to be a lot of fingers at Fenway Sports looking at Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes.
“And has there been an overreliance on data? As I say, nobody can question the fact that they haven’t been supported. And Arne Slot also, I mean, if he hasn’t been the one selecting the players fully, then he may be off the hook in that sort of sense, but still I maintain that his management skills will be under the spotlight right now as well.”
Liverpool spending could continue in January
Liverpool are still targeting additions in the January transfer window despite spending over £400million on new players in the summer.
Antoine Semenyo has a £65m release clause in his Bournemouth contract, and Liverpool are exploring the possibility of signing the 25-year-old.
The Reds are preparing for the eventual departure of Mo Salah, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old winger has yet to hit form this season, and will be representing Egypt at the African Cup of Nations [AFCON] in December and January.