Liverpool CEO proved right as Salzburg axe Lijnders

Pepijn Lijnders was a popular figure among the Liverpool fans.

He was Jurgen Klopp’s right-hand man and played a major role in building the club to its current state.

When Klopp decided to leave Liverpool after nine years, many fans wanted Lijnders to be given the job.

The Dutchman wanted to be a manager. He is cut from the same cloth as Klopp, and appointing him seemed the perfect move.

However, returning chief executive officer Michael Edwards had other ideas and allowed Lijnders to leave the club.

Lijnders moved to Red Bull Salzburg to become their new manager, but his appointment has not worked out.

Salzburg have confirmed today they have parted ways with the 41-year-old following a poor run of results.

Edwards’ decision looks to be a stroke of genius

Edwards was one of the architects behind Klopp’s massive success at Liverpool before he left his post.

He was the transfer guru who signed Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, who have starred for the club.

When he returned as the CEO of football this year, his biggest task was to find a new manager. It was never going to be easy to replace Klopp.

One bad decision and the entire foundation could collapse.

Edwards is adept at selling players at a high price, but appointing the right manager was a challenging task.

He has his own way of doing things. He did not cave into fans’ sentiments to continue Klopp’s legacy with Lijnders’ appointment, nor did the club make a great effort to land Xabi Alonso.

Liverpool struck a deal with then Feyenoord manager Arne Slot, who was not among the fans’ favourites to replace Klopp.

They trusted Edwards, his methods and his ability to make most of his decisions accurately. And he got the biggest decision in the club’s modern history nailed on.

Liverpool are flying high in the Premier League and Champions League, and Slot’s appointment looks like a masterstroke.