Liverpool want to build on £150m transfer successes by offering key figure new deal

Liverpool are reportedly very pleased with the work that their director of football Jorg Schmadtke has done so far at the club following a successful summer transfer window.

Schmadtke raised some eyebrows when he was brought in this summer to oversee their transfer business with the 59-year-old arriving with a strong reputation as a smart transfer guru over the years. So far at Liverpool, he's overseen signings such as Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig) Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton) Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich) and Wataru Endo (Stuttgart) and with three of those coming from the Bundesliga, it's clear to see the German league influence he's had on Jurgen Klopp's side so far.

While Endo's £16m signing was very much met with a 'Wataru who?' from Liverpool fans, it is safe to say five months into the season that they aren't saying that anymore. The 30-year-old has been key with his availability and consistency at the base of midfield and he is outperforming players who went for far greater sums of money in his position this summer - it's an example of a Schmadtke success story and, if the reports are to be believed, it is the type of deal that the club want to emulate in the future.

Reports from Germany, (Christian Falk) claim that Liverpool and Klopp are very happy with the work done so far and they are potentially ready to meet with the German in 'March or February' to discuss the option to prolong his contract into the summer transfer window and, even beyond.

Falk is quoted as saying: “As far as Liverpool are concerned, Jorg Schmadtke is the transfer expert and friend of Jurgen Klopp and supposed to conduct transfer business until the end of the transfer window.

“Schmadtke has a contract until the summer as sporting director but that ends at the end of June, i.e. before the next transfer window. That’s why, according to my information, they will perhaps sit down in March or February and discuss whether things should continue. The fact is, Klopp trusts Schmadtke and if they are definitely still together, they will see what they can get on the table and maybe strike another agreement again.”

His work in Germany saw him achieve notable success stories on a budget, with the signing of keeper Ron-Robert Zieler on a free from Manchester United being one of them. He went on to make 221 appearances across six seasons and he was also responsible for bringing in Wout Weghorst for Wolfsburg where he went on to score 59 goals in three years.

Already we've seen his influence in transfer rumours with Borussia Monchengladbach's Ko Itakura, who has been linked with a potential summer move to Anfield. Lesser known names have worked for the club in the past and the club very much operates in a frugal manner with big deals, they have to be absolutely sure before dropping sums of money over £60m which is something they have got right over the last eight years. And in a post-Michael Edwards world, Schmadtke has certainly hit the ground running by helping to bring success on the pitch from the get-go.