All hail Michael Edwards.
Some clubs are great at signing players for reasonable amounts of money. Some clubs excel at getting the maximum return for their own players. Liverpool, since Michael Edwards joined the club, have been both.
When you think of Dominic Solanke, you probably think of a non-scoring striker, but might fail to remember that Bournemouth paid Liverpool £19 million for him? Danny Ward, Leicester City’s number two keeper, was sold by the Reds for £12.5m. Ki-Jana Hoever? He went to Wolves for £13.5m.
Now, Liverpool have agreed a deal to sell Rhian Brewster to Sheffield United for a fee of £23.5m.
Brewster, a 20-year-old striker with 20 senior league appearances to his name but not a single Premier League appearance, scored 10 goals on loan at Swansea last season, and has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield.
While Jurgen Klopp is said to rate the player, the recent arrival of Portugal forward Diogo Jota means that his opportunities within the first team set up will be extremely limited for the coming season.
There was never going to be a shortage of takers for a forward who is clearly beginning to fulfil his lofty potential, but the large fee for someone with no Premier League experience is the detail that has once again got Liverpool fans praising their sporting director’s Midas touch when it comes to offloading players who are considered surplus to requirements.
Just to put the cherry on top, the deal includes a 15 percent sell-on clause and a buyback clause which lasts for three season; more than enough time for Liverpool to come to a decision on where they feel Brewster’s long term future lies.
In response to the news, Liverpool fans understandably lavished praise on Edwards, praising him for his tough negotiation skills which, when compared to his contemporaries at other clubs (ahem) puts many of them to shame.
https://twitter.com/MrNickMason/status/1311963983612645377?s=20
@ Michael Edwards…… pic.twitter.com/sDCQf12IFy
— Ben Webb (@BenWebbLFC) October 2, 2020
Michael Edwards negotiating tactic to clubs when selling our players for massive profits… pic.twitter.com/0FeqdZnm1c
— moghees (@moghees) October 2, 2020
https://twitter.com/mxndar/status/1311939339329232896?s=20
Michael Edwards to anyone he negotiates with……. pic.twitter.com/zlZwVG0TdH
— Andy Griffiths (@AndrewGriff10) October 2, 2020
https://twitter.com/AshWhales/status/1311979784361181184?s=20
Michael Edwards ! He’s a genius https://t.co/q3sscFJjCU
— SIYABONGA NOMVETHE🔥 (@iamZarate) October 2, 2020