Liverpool have announced the appointment of Ian Ayre as managing director and Damien Comolli as director of football.
Ayre, who has worked as the club’s commercial director since 2007, replaces Christian Purslow, who left the position in October last year. The owners had been searching for his successor since December.
Ayre worked alongside Purslow and Martin Broughton during Fenway Sports Group’s takeover of the club.
Principal owner John Henry told the club’s official website: “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. He will play a key role in all of our future plans.”
Comolli left Saint-Etienne to join Liverpool in November last year as director of football strategy. He has been tasked with identifying potential signings and previously worked at Arsenal and Tottenham.
“I am also delighted to announce the promotion of Damien Comolli to director of football,” Henry said. “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.
“Damien played a leading role in our January transfer window activity with the recruitment of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. These two additions will play a significant role in the future of the club. All of us at Liverpool Football Club who have been working on a day-to-day basis with Damien believe he will be a key contributor for many, many years here as we build a football operation second to none.”
The club’s owners have also officially assumed the corporate name of Fenway Sports Group having initially been known as New England Sports Ventures.
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
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