Jörg Schmadtke worked as Liverpool’s sporting director for eight months. Now the 60-year-old has spoken about that time and revealed how Jürgen Klopp dealt with aborted transfers.
The appointment came as a surprise at the time: Jörg Schmadtke as Liverpool FC’s sporting director? After all, the German had only worked for German clubs – until the request from the Reds arrived at the end of the 2022/23 season.
“Everyone involved has been incredibly welcoming to me,” the 60-year-old now recalled in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Even the players, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, didn’t just walk past you, they said hello. Nobody had an attitude of, ‘Ah, here comes another German. What does he want here?’”
Schmadtke did not expect this kind of reception. “It was more like, ‘It’s great to have you here. If you have any questions, just let me know.’” The sporting director’s tasks were clearly defined: “Processing transfers, filtering communication between the scouting department and Jürgen Klopp, and discussing with him which new players are under consideration and whether he can see himself in each case.”
“We actually had other ideas in mind for Endo”
He wanted to “give Klopp space to deal with matters concerning the team,” explained Schmadtke, who also talked about the new signings in his short eight-month era that came from the Bundesliga.
“At the beginning, I was skeptical about Dominik Szoboszlai, whether he was too expensive,” admitted the Düsseldorf native. “However, I have to admit that he repaid the trust right from the start and justified his signing.” The LFC transferred €70 million to RB Leipzig via a release clause at the time.
The LFC paid considerably less for Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart. “We actually had other ideas in mind for Endo that we couldn’t realize. Then we came across statistical data on him and talked about him at length because I also knew him well from Germany. In the end, we thought he could fit into our team.”
The Japanese player cost between €20 million and €25 million, but under current coach Arne Slot, he only comes on as a substitute for the final quarter of an hour. This is also because another former Bundesliga player is excelling in his position.
“It’s extraordinary how the boy has developed, and especially how quickly it has happened,” said Schmadtke about Ryan Gravenberch: “But you could see right away what great skills he has: sharpness of passing, accuracy of passing, spatial awareness, speed.” The 60-year-old believes that the move from Bayern Munich to Anfield “helped the Dutchman to mature” and said: “Gravenberch is a perfect example of how you imagine a transfer to work – and in this case it worked.”
The short-term sports director also revealed how Klopp, who is known for being extremely emotional, dealt with failed transfers: “Extremely relaxed. If something doesn’t work out, Jürgen is able to let it go and fall in love with the next player.”