MANCHESTER, ENGLAND -- In an offseason when Liverpool is looking to make key signings to compete at the top of the Premier League again, its most important business of all could come off the field.
The Merseyside club is pursuing a new sporting director -- its third in three years -- because Julian Ward is stepping down at the end of the season, just 12 months after replacing predecessor Michael Edwards.
The role of sporting director has taken on greater importance in English soccer in recent years as a pivotal figure in determining transfer strategy. That had traditionally been the main responsibility of the manager.
Few teams have leaned on the position as successfully as Liverpool during a period in which manager Jurgen Klopp has won every major trophy and reached three Champions League finals.
Edwards' expertise in the market was seen as fundamental to those achievements, with the signings of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson transforming the team's fortunes.
Ward had been his deputy before taking over the top job last year, but in November he made the surprise decision to walk away at the end of the season.
It has left Liverpool needing to fill a vital position at the same time as Klopp is hoping to address problem areas of his squad that have contributed to the team's dramatic decline this season.
"I am not the person in the club who can give a real answer about where it stands," Klopp said of the search for Ward's successor. "That's in the hands of other people, but from what I've heard, it's all going in the right direction.
"I'm happy with the structure. The guy or the lady we get will be absolutely right but (there's) nothing to say in this moment."
Liverpool needs to get it right in the transfer market this summer after being overtaken by Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United this season.
Having come close to winning an unprecedented quadruple of trophies last year, Klopp's team now looks set to miss out on Champions League qualification.
How the German could do with some inspired signings like the ones recruited under Edwards' watch.
None more so than in midfield, with at least one new addition needed to bring energy to the heart of the team.
Liverpool has reportedly decided to back away from an expected move for Jude Bellingham, meaning an alternative will need to be identified, one likely to be considerably less expensive than the estimated $150 million it would take to sign the Borussia Dortmund star.
Klopp spoke earlier this month about the need to work within a budget, which is what Liverpool has done so impressively in the face of Manchester City's exorbitant spending under the ownership of Abu Dhabi's ruling family.
While Liverpool's American owner Fenway Sports Group has spent record sums on players like Van Dijk ($100 million) and Alisson ($84.5 million), the club's success has been rooted in how shrewd it has been in identifying talent, which was a key part of Edwards' role. There have been few transfer mistakes over the past five years, which has been crucial in going toe-to-toe with City, given the defending Premier League champions' spending power.
By comparison, Manchester United has made a host of expensive errors in its attempts to challenge City, with star signings like Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez all failing to live up to expectations.
The opposite has been true at Liverpool, with Salah establishing himself as one of the best strikers in the world, having previously failed at Chelsea.
Sadio Mane was outstanding after being signed from Southampton, and Andy Robertson was a bargain buy from Hull.
Those are the standards Liverpool's next sporting director must live up to as the club aims to ensure this season's slump lasts no more than a year.
With Klopp transitioning an aging squad and reshaping an attack that was one of the deadliest in Europe, it is a hire that Liverpool cannot afford to get wrong.
