Liverpool set for latest key backroom departure after Julian Ward and Ian Graham exits

Liverpool’s director of loan management David Woodfine is set to leave the club, reports suggest.

According to The Athletic, Woodfine will depart Anfield ‘in search of a fresh challenge’. He’s been at the Reds since arriving from West Ham United in 2014 and held three different positions. Having worked with former sporting director Michael Edwards at Portsmouth, Woodfine was originally Liverpool’s scouting and recruitment coordinator before he became head of football projects and scouting operations three years later.

Woodfine has held the post of director of loan management since December 2020. During that period, helped oversee successful loan for the likes of Neco Williams at Fulham last season, which resulted in his £17 million transfer to Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Sepp van den Berg has spent time at Preston and Schalke, Tyler Morton was a regular at Blackburn Rovers this term while Conor Bradley is starring at Bolton Wanderers as they go in pursuit of League One play-off glory.

Woodfine is the third key backroom staff member who’ll depart Liverpool. Last year, it was revealed that Julian Ward will leave his post as sporting director at the end of the campaign - having only succeeded the much-vaunted Edwards last summer. Ward is expected to be replaced by Jorg Schmadtke.

Meanwhile, director of research Ian Graham is also moving on from the Reds in a few weeks. He’ll be replaced by Will Spearman.