With Julian Ward now set to return to Liverpool as sporting director, it got me thinking about his first spell at the club and the players he helped bring through the door.
Ward’s original period as Liverpool’s sporting director was a short one, but he was involved in some hugely significant recruitment.
From Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez to Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister, there were some enormous names involved.
There were also players who never quite worked out.
So, let’s take a look back at the six signings most closely associated with Ward’s first spell.
Luis Díaz – £50m
Luis Díaz was arguably the first major statement of Ward’s recruitment era.
Liverpool moved quickly for the Colombian in January 2022 after Tottenham’s interest forced the Reds to accelerate their plans. Ward played a major role in getting the deal over the line.
And what a signing he initially looked.
Díaz was electric.
His pace, aggression, dribbling and ability to attack defenders made him an instant fan favourite at Anfield.
His Liverpool career was interrupted by injuries, but he still produced some excellent moments before eventually leaving the club for Bayern Munich.
Liverpool also made a significant profit on the deal when Díaz departed, which is an important part of the story when assessing the signing.
For me, Díaz showed exactly why Liverpool were prepared to move so quickly for him.
Fábio Carvalho – £5m
Carvalho was a completely different type of signing.
Liverpool weren’t buying an established star. They were investing in a young attacking player who had already shown enormous potential at Fulham.
He had scored 10 goals and provided eight assists as Fulham won the Championship in 2021/22.
Unfortunately, things never really clicked for Carvalho at Liverpool.
He struggled for regular opportunities and subsequently spent time on loan before eventually leaving permanently.
It’s one of those transfers where you can understand the thinking behind the signing, even if the player ultimately didn’t establish himself at Anfield.
Darwin Núñez – £85m
Now we get to the big one.
Darwin Núñez arrived from Benfica for a club-record type fee and enormous expectations.
Liverpool had seen first-hand what he could do during the Champions League quarter-final against Benfica, where he scored in both legs. Jürgen Klopp admitted the performances helped convince Liverpool that Núñez was the right player for them.
There were some spectacular moments.
There were also some spectacular misses.
Núñez finished his Liverpool career with plenty of goals and assists, but he never quite became the consistently clinical striker many supporters expected after such a huge transfer fee.
That’s what makes his Liverpool spell so fascinating.
The ability was clearly there.
The consistency wasn’t always.
Calvin Ramsay – £4.2m
Ramsay arrived from Aberdeen as one for the future.
Liverpool clearly saw enormous potential in the young Scottish right-back, who had been named the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year for 2021/22.
Unfortunately, injuries badly disrupted his development.
He never managed to establish himself in the Liverpool first team and spent much of his time trying to get his fitness and career back on track.
This is probably the clearest example of a signing where circumstances played a huge part.
Sometimes young players simply don’t get the uninterrupted run they need.
Cody Gakpo – £45m
Gakpo is a really interesting one because his arrival wasn’t necessarily expected at that particular moment.
Liverpool moved quickly to sign him from PSV following the 2022 World Cup, with Ward finalising the deal after several days of negotiations.
And Gakpo has gone on to become a very important Liverpool player.
He’s played in multiple positions, scored important goals and provided a level of versatility that has been incredibly useful.
His form has also continued to develop.
After a difficult period last season, Gakpo has started the current campaign particularly strongly and has become one of the players Liverpool supporters can rely on.
For me, this is one of Ward’s most interesting successes because Gakpo wasn’t simply bought to score goals.
Liverpool bought a player capable of doing a number of different jobs.
Alexis Mac Allister – £35m
And then there’s Mac Allister.
Liverpool signed him from Brighton for an initial fee of around £35m, making him the first major addition of the summer of 2023 as Ward prepared to leave the club.
And what a piece of business that looked.
Mac Allister quickly established himself as one of Liverpool’s most important midfielders.
He has played as a No.6, No.8 and further forward, while his passing ability, intelligence and composure have made him hugely valuable.
There have been periods where his performances haven’t reached the level we’ve come to expect from him, but he’s currently looking much more like himself under Andoni Iraola.
And that’s why I still think the Mac Allister signing deserves enormous credit.
£35m for a player of his quality looks like exceptional business.
So what does the Ward record tell us?
That’s the difficult question.
Six signings.
Six very different stories.
Díaz brought excitement and ultimately generated a significant transfer return.
Carvalho didn’t establish himself.
Núñez produced goals but also frustration.
Ramsay’s Liverpool career was badly affected by injuries.
Gakpo has developed into a hugely useful and important player.
And Mac Allister has become one of Liverpool’s most important midfielders.
It’s hardly a perfect record.
But it certainly isn’t a failure either.
And that’s what makes Ward’s return so interesting.
Liverpool are apparently trusting someone who already knows the club, knows how the recruitment operation works and has previously been involved in bringing some very talented players to Anfield.
His first spell contained hits and misses.
Now he gets the opportunity to write a completely new chapter.
And if his next six Liverpool signings have the impact of Díaz, Gakpo and Mac Allister, supporters will certainly have plenty to talk about.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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