Julian Ward Confirmed to Join Ajax for Rebuild

Liverpool’s former Sporting Director Julian Ward, who announced his departure from the club in November 2022, is set to join Ajax, reports the Mirror.

Ward took the role at Liverpool after the departure of transfer maestro Michael Edwards. He led discussions that precipitated the signing of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. He also played a major role in Mohamed Salah’s contract renewal. But one year after taking the job, he announced that he would be stepping down.

News of his departure was downplayed by Jurgen Klopp at the time.

“It was a surprise when Julian told me,” said Klopp in December. “But we work completely normal together until the day that he leaves. Julian is 100 percent committed and everything is fine. We never had a problem and will not have a problem, so it’s all fine.

Ward will now join Ajax to help with their rebuild after the departure of Erik ten Hag for Manchester United. He will assume this role on July 1 as agreed with Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Saar, the Mirror reports. Ward’s main role will be to rebuild the scouting department that has previously been known for seeking out talented youth players.