The new boss at Anfield has more challenges than some may realise, as hierarchy disruptions starts to be a cause for concern.

By Alex Ridout

It’s no doubt that since taking over Liverpool back in 2010, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have brought the club back from financial despair and turned it into a massive profit making monster of modern day football.

Despite some mistakes along the way, no one can argue that the Merseyside club are in a much better place under the leadership of John Henry, than the debt sucking previous owners that were Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who seriously tested how far a club the size of Liverpool could actually fall.

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From Jurgen Klopp’s arrival as manager in 2015, the Reds were known amongst the footballing world as one of the most well run clubs out there.

Everything was done for a reason, and nothing was done without significant thought from those at the top.

From smart signings in the transfer window, to modernising Anfield whilst also keeping the features that made it the historic ground it was all those years ago, which is something a lot of clubs have neglected, every plan was executed to perfection.

The exact footballing example of a well-run locomotive.

But as time has gone on, and now with a new man at the head of the almighty red ship, things just don’t seem as organised behind the scenes as they may have been a few years ago.

The hints that things weren’t right behind the curtain started last season, after what many saw as a disastrous season under Arne Slot, a large portion of the Liverpool fanbase called for a change of coaching staff, with the manager included.

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By the end the writing seemed on the wall for the Dutchman, with poor performances starting to be expected, and some of the club’s greats coming out with social media posts, everything pointed to Slot’s departure at the end of the 2025/26 season, and that was the case.

However, the way it all happened left a lot of questions to be asked about what the plan really was all along.

For months the top journalists and football media kept saying that the manager was staying, and even Slot himself seemed to think the same way, with quotes like “I have every reason to believe I will be the Liverpool manager next season”.

So, something obviously forced a kneejerk reaction from Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, as the fate of Etienne Reijnen proves how quick their minds were changed.

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The 39-year-old worked with the former Reds manager at Feyenoord back in 2024, but nearing the end of last season he was set to reunite with his previous colleague at Anfield.

Many saw this appointment as a sign that the Dutchman would be staying at Liverpool come the start of the 2026/27 campaign, and they weren’t wrong to think that.

But to Reijnen’s misfortune, Slot was relieved of his duties as head coach before he was implemented at Liverpool, however still after leaving his previous job at Feyenoord, meaning he was then jobless.

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Such an important decision is rarely made under such haste under FSG, though for some reason there was a complete U-turn in the direction the club would be taking, with the immediate removal of Reijnen highlighting the speed of the change.

As for Hughes and Edwards, their futures seem to be panning out the same way.

Despite being the club’s sport director, Edwards too was announced to be leaving the Reds, though halfway through a transfer window was the factor that raised a fair few eyebrows.

Hughes on the other hand, looks to be seeing out the end of the window, however heavy rumours with a move to the Saudi Pro League suggest that he won’t be on Merseyside long after September 1st.

Having transfer decisions being made by someone who isn’t seeing out the project doesn’t project the best look, and gives Iraola even more tasks to have the solve, in a summer that could be vital to his side’s success come next May.

Even bidding a total of £100 million for a player, that being Yan Diomande, who then ended up rejecting the move for another club, doesn’t scream efficient.

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Taking Victor Munoz aside, Liverpool seems very idle in the window, and although the World Cup was a barrier to some deals, others are getting things done.

All the uncertainty under chaos that is circling is very unlike a regime led by FSG and doesn’t help the new manager settle in and implement a style that can excite fans again.

The period after the transfer window shuts will be heavily watched to see what the next steps are for the American hierarchy.

However, one thing is for certain, for Iraola none of this is a positive.

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Featured image of Anfield: Photo by Mark mc neill on Unsplash