Michael Edwards went to extreme lengths in hotels to make Liverpool successful

Liverpool chief Michael Edwards reportedly used to go to extreme lengths when scouting players, so much so that he would even book into opposing team hotels in preseason to gauge their character

Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool chief Michael Edwards reportedly went to extreme lengths to scout players, booking into opposing team hotels during preseason to gauge their character.

The 46-year-old served as one of the key architects behind Liverpool's transfer dealings that saw then manager Jurgen Klopp's side win everything there is to win in club football, with Edwards operating as the Reds sporting director between 2016 and 2022.

While he stepped away in 2022, Edwards was convinced to return by FSG, only this time in the role of chief executive of football, while Richard Hughes became the Reds sporting director. Edwards has been lauded in the past for his role in transforming Liverpool's recruitment through data analytics.

However, he also reportedly went to extreme lengths to gauge the character of the players he was interested in signing for the Reds.

Prior to him becoming a well-known name in football, he would book himself into hotels during preseason where players he was interested in signing for Liverpool were staying with their teams, so he could watch them behind the scenes to see how they operate.

Speaking to The Redmen TV, former footballer-turned-agent Paul Dalglish, the son of Kenny Dalglish, revealed Edwards' preseason tactics, adding that clubs are now looking for every scrap of information they can find on a player before making a multi-million-dollar investment.

"Michael Edwards, I'm pretty sure this is true, but before anybody knew who he was really, he would book into opposing teams hotels during preseason and watch players around hotels to see the behavior," said Dalglish.

"That's the other thing. There's so much that goes into it now. I've had calls saying 'Hey Paul, do you know this player.'

"I've been called, not for my clients, and I'm not gonna tell you who it was, but I've been called about a Liverpool player for a character reference.

"Just saying 'Hey, do you know this player, we're thinking about signing them, we're looking and we're doing our due diligence about character references. What type of lad is he, do you know if he's out and about in nightclubs? Or do you know if he's a drinker, is he this, is he that?'"

Speaking about the importance of Edwards in an interview with The Athletic, Liverpool chairman Tom Wagner described the former as "extremely bright and extremely successful."

Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes pose with the Premier League trophy.(Image: Nikki Dyer - Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

"He was critical in rebuilding the structure, which included not just appointing Richard Hughes as sporting director, but also the staff under him, like the scouts," said Werner.

“They say success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan. Well, I’d say Michael is probably the preeminent father of success (at Liverpool).