Who is Jorg Schmadtke? Liverpool's new sporting director

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 31 May 2023 07:15 BST
• 2 min read

Liverpool have appointed Jurgen Klopp ally Jorg Schmadtke as their new sporting director, but what else is there to know about him?

Liverpool have been on the lookout for a new sporting director since the departure of Michael Edwards last summer, which was quickly followed by that of his successor, Julian Ward.

A summer rebuild is in store at Anfield, with Liverpool failing to qualify for the Champions League and finishing fifth.

READ: Liverpool tipped to dump 14 players in mass summer cull

Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Naby Keita will all leave the club on free transfers, while a host of players, from Josko Gvardiol to Mason Mount have been linked.

Schmadtke will no doubt have a few more players up his sleeve. FootballTransfers takes a closer look…

What role does Schmadtke currently have?

Schmadtke had been out of work having most recently been the sporting director at Wolfsburg, whom he left in January having announced his intention to do so a year earlier.

A former goalkeeper for Fortuna Dusseldorf and Freiburg, he has had similar managerial roles at Hannover and Cologne.

How good is Schmadtke?

Schmadtke is known for his outspoken style and quick wit as well as his recruitment values, which has seen a number of stars signed for bargains before they hit the big time.

He signed Wout Weghorst for Wolfsburg in 2018 with the now Manchester United loanee outscoring Victor Osimhen in his first season at the club. He is also credited with the arrival of nascent youngsters like Ridle Baku and Maxence Lacroix.

In his first scouting job - at Alemannia Aachen - their coach Dieter Hecking said Schmadtke "knew every player from the Bundesliga down to the fourth division" and this attention to detail is part of his appeal for Liverpool.

What other clubs were interested in Schmadtke?

Schmadtke also previously fetched Cologne their record transfer fee when he oversaw the €35 million sale of Anthony Modeste to Tianjin Quanjian in 2017, and he has been on German football's radar for some time.

Bayern Munich were interested as a replacement for the sacked Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic, but Liverpool have now won the race for his signature.

How old is Schmadtke?

Born on 16 March 1964, Schmadtke is 59 at the time of writing, making him four years Klopp's senior.