I was shocked to hear the news this morning that Liverpool’s director of football Damien Comolli has left the club by mutual consent.
Comolli was appointed by club co-owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner following their takeover of the club in September 2010.
At the time of his appointment, Comolli said his role was identifying transfer targets which means he was responsible for overseeing Dalglish’s £112.8m spending spree last year.
In a press release Comolli said:
“I am happy to move on from the club and go back to France for family reasons. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to work at Liverpool. I wish the club all the best for the future.”
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said:
“The club needs to move forward and we now have a huge game on Saturday. It is important that everyone joins us in supporting the manager and gets behind Kenny [Dalglish] and the team and focuses on a strong finish to the season.”
Principal owner Henry added:
“We are grateful for all of Damien’s efforts on behalf of Liverpool and wish him all the best for the future.”
The firing of Comolli generates more questions than answers:
- It is difficult not to conclude that the his removal means that Fenway Sports and/or Dalglish are unhappy with the quality of Liverpool’s signings over the last two years. And if they are unhappy, are unhappy with the players he signed or the price that Liverpool paid for them?
- Is the firing of Comolli a sign that the concept of Moneyball does not translate to football?
- The Fenway Sports Group can be a little tone deaf when it comes to PR, but could this announcement not have waited until next week, until after the FA Cup semi-final?
- I assume that Dalglish now has total control over the footballing side of the club. How will that change how Liverpool approaches this offseason?
- And what is the future for Dalglish? Is he looking to move into a Director of Football role at some point and bring in a new manager?
What did you think of the firing of Comolli today?
