Report: Jurgen Klopp is testing "FSG's faith" with personal request as Liverpool look to fill key role

According to recent reports, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is keen to choose his own replacement for Ward rather than having one assigned by the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

Sources close to Football Insider have suggested that the German is testing FSG. What the result of this test will yield remains to be seen.

Klopp has had great success working with sporting directors throughout his career, most notably with Michael Edwards at Liverpool and Michael Zorc at Borussia Dortmund.

Therefore, it is not surprising that he is keen to choose someone he can work closely with to help shape the club's future direction.

While a lack of investment in midfield signings has shaped Liverpool's 2022/23 season, instability off the pitch is also a major factor.

Several names have been linked with the role, including former Dortmund and Arsenal chief scout Sven Mislintat.

However, Liverpool are not currently in talks with him.

Klopp wants to work with someone from Germany so he can replicate his success with Zorc.

The appointment of a new sporting director is critical for Liverpool as they look to invest and rebuild ahead in the summer.

Interestingly, Klopp is testing "FSG's faith" as well as "their flexibility in pivotal staff recruitment. Given how much Klopp has relied on the likes of Michael Edwards and Zorc, signing a new sporting director is of the utmost importance.

Liverpool have recruited with unerring accuracy at times but more recently, their summer and winter signings have been questioned.

Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have both been heavily criticised but they're both proving why they were recruited.

The two forwards scored against Newcastle United to hand the Reds a 2-0 win and a vital boost in their push for a return to the Premier League's top four.