{
  "id": 9949271,
  "title": "Ward appointed Liverpool's sporting director",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/ward-appointed-liverpools-sporting-director",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T09:08:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport",
    "slug": "bbc-sport",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3x2zkvkez48o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Liverpool have appointed Julian Ward as their new sporting director, replacing Richard Hughes who left in September. This marks Ward's second time in the role at Anfield, having previously served from 2022-23. In his initial appointment, Ward helped secure key players like Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, and Darwin Nunez under Jurgen Klopp. He also played a crucial role in re-signing Mohamed Salah in 2022 and had a strong relationship with agent Jorge Mendes, which aided their pursuit of Diogo Jota. Now as a technical director, Ward has been involved in Liverpool's pursuit of younger talent and maintains a good rapport with Mike Gordon, the club's president. FSG president Mike Gordon expressed confidence in Ward's capability, citing his extensive experience in the football industry and Liverpool specifically.",
  "summary": "Julian Ward becomes Liverpool's sporting director for the second time following the departure of Richard Hughes.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Julian Ward must sanction surprise Liverpool transfer for 'world-class' star",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/julian-ward-must-sanction-surprise-liverpool-transfer-for-world-class",
        "published": "2026-09-26T06:05:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Ward appointed Liverpool's sporting director",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/ward-appointed-liverpools-sporting-director-9949682",
        "published": "2026-09-26T09:08:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Ward appointed Liverpool’s sporting director",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/ward-appointed-liverpools-sporting-director-9965640",
        "published": "2026-09-26T11:00:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}