Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke’s future at the club remains up in the air ahead of his contract expiring, according to journalist Christian Falk.
The German started in his role last summer, coming in as Julian Ward’s replacement at Anfield, and he has made a positive impact to date, playing his part in the Reds topping the Premier League and overcoming last year’s woes.
Schmadtke has helped Jurgen Klopp completely change his midfield, bringing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai, and it has made a world of difference.
It appears as though the pair have a good working relationship, but Liverpool’s current sporting director is only contracted to the club until the end of the season.
Speaking to Caught Offside [via Empire of the Kop], Falk provided an update on Schmadtke’s current situation, admitting a decision will be made nearer the time:
“Jorg Schmadtke and the club had an agreement that they would talk at the end of February and the beginning of March over his future. Schmadtke is not sure what he will decide then. He’ll hear what Liverpool wants and, because he likes the club very much and is enjoying his role there, I suspect he’ll think about extending his stay if they tell him they need him longer.
“At the moment, it’s really open and his contract is ending in June, so he’s not currently set to help the club with their summer window dealings.“With that in mind, it’s important they talk early, as they can’t start talks on July 1st ahead of the new season.”
The current evidence suggests that it would make sense for Liverpool to retain Schmadtke’s services moving forward, but the decision very much rests with himself and Klopp.
Should the pair decide that the 59-year-old staying on makes the most sense, it could be an easy decision, but equally, making a change to freshen things is an option, depending on the Reds manager’s stance.
There were some murmurs about Schmadtke being a strange appointment when he came, given his reputation for being a volatile figure, but it is hard to have any issues with the job he has done since arriving on Merseyside.
