By David Gold
March 22 – Damien Comolli has been promoted to the role of director of football at Liverpool, with Ian Ayre (pictured) becoming the club’s new managing director.
Ayre has been the club’s commercial director for three-and-a-half years, and he will move into the post which was left vacant by Christian Purslow’s departure last October.
John Henry, the club owner, said of Ayre: “Ian has enormous experience gained from his work in the sports and media businesses over the past 15 years, and we are delighted today to announce this significant appointment.
“We conducted an extensive recruitment search and met with outstanding candidates who sought this role but in the end, after having worked with Ian and other top executives within the club, we realised that Ian had all of the attributes necessary to lead the Club forward.
“Ian has been doing an outstanding job driving commercial revenues and has a proven track record in successfully leading and developing businesses in a number of different regions and sectors of importance to Liverpool FC.
“But importantly, Ian is also from Liverpool and understands the relationships between the club, the supporters and the city.”
Chairman Tom Werner was similarly effusive in his praise for Ayre: “We’ve worked closely with Ian since coming to Liverpool and we have great confidence in his management and leadership skills.
“Also, as a life-long fan of the club, he has been instrumental in bringing John and I up to speed on the traditions and history of this great club and specifically, what it means to follow the Liverpool way.”
Comolli was brought in last November as the director of football strategy, bringing his scouting expertise to the Premiership outfit from his previous roles with St. Etienne, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, and he was similarly praised by Henry.
He said: “I am delighted to announce the promotion of Damien Comolli to Director of Football.
“In the short time that Damien has been at the Club, he has impressed us greatly with his knowledge of the sport, his work ethic and his incisive intelligence.
“He is a clear thinker and understands exactly what is needed to form a long-term, consistent approach with the philosophy we all share here. He has a track record of identifying young talent and has already made significant contributions to the first team and academy.”
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