World Impact, Liverpool to get new boss, thanks for everything Klopp

With Liverpool's Premier League season now over, the club has begun to make moves to bring in new signings for both its squad and management, all with the aim of getting back on track after the recent campaign left the club without silverware. With this objective in mind, the team in which the Colombian Luis Díaz plays announced the arrival of Jörg Schmadtke, the man who will be the new sporting director for what is to come.

Schmadtke, 59, spent more than four years in the same position with Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga before leaving the club earlier this year. He was also sporting director at Hannover 96 and FC Cologne. The former Fortuna Düsseldorf goalkeeper will take up his new duties at Anfield from June 1, subject to a work permit, as Liverpool look to rebound after a trophyless season.

Schmadtke will take the position vacated by Julian Ward, who leaves the club after a decade at Liverpool marked by a Premier League title in 2020 and a Champions League in 2019. "I would like to wish Jörg a warm welcome to Liverpool Football Club, knowing that he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to a position where those qualities can only be beneficial to him and to us," Mike Gordon, chairman of Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool's American owners, said in the club statement.

The new boss

"Jörg will work with our football operations department which continues to provide support to Jürgen Klopp, in line with our ongoing efforts to continue to grow and develop the club in all areas," he added. "I know he is a good guy and an intelligent person," Klopp explained when asked earlier this month about the possibility of his compatriot joining the Reds. "He's very good at what he's done in Germany, he really succeeded," he added. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League, failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2015/2016 season.