Brendan Rodgers is expected to survive as Liverpool manager into next season but could there be some changes in how the club goes about recruiting players this summer?
One suggestion is that the Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool, might want to appoint a director of football/ general manager to assist Rodgers.
This would raise questions over whether the much-debated transfer committee – which is headed by the manager – will be broken up, or at least revamped, following some disappointing signings in recent windows.
The committee includes Rodgers, Mike Gordon, a Liverpool director who also sits on FSG’s board, chief executive Ian Ayre, head of performance and analysis Michael Edwards along with chief scout Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows, the head of recruitment.
Mario Balotelli has been one of several disappointing signings
The spotlight is likely to fall on Hunter and Fallows in particular, and how effective they have been, when FSG carry out their usual end-of-season review of how Liverpool have performed.
Whether they re-shape the committee or even take the step of appointing a director of football – something Rodgers has opposed in the past – remains to seen but certainly there will be a reckoning over the signings that have been made and just how many have proved a success.
Even if a change is made to the way Liverpool conduct their transfers there will not be a wavering in the principle of signing players of potential which FSG have insisted upon.
Either way it will be a busy summer of transfer activity at Liverpool with at least 10 players and probably more expected to leave.
Bad news for Bamford
Jose Mourinho has let the cat out of the bag when it comes to bringing through young players at Chelsea. The key as to whether a starlet has a first-team future at the club appears to be to avoid going out on loan. Chelsea have 27 players at other clubs with Mourinho frank in admitting they are following a business model – overseen by technical director Michael Emenalo – to make money by developing and selling on. This is partly to comply with Financial Fair Play.
Patrick Bamford's future at Chelsea looks uncertain
So it would appear to bad news for the likes of striker Patrick Bamford, on loan at Middlesbrough, and Nathaniel Chalobah at Reading – his fifth club since being signed by Chelsea. It is better news for the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Dominic Solanke who Mourinho said he has no intention of loaning out next season. “We know for sure they have the potential to play for Chelsea one day, when they are so young it’s better for them to stay at Chelsea and develop,” he said.
Watford on the march
These are exciting times at Watford who are on the verge of being promoted to the Championship. They could be even more exciting next season in the Premier League especially if, as expected, the club’s owners, the Pozzo family, who also own Udinese in Serie A and Granada in La Liga make Watford the 'senior’ club out of the trio.
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