Congratulations on your promotion to Director of Football at Liverpool FC - what remit does this new title bring with it?
It covers pretty much all of the football side. Obviously I'm not getting involved in anything to do with team selection or training, that's the manager's remit. It's basically a day to day relationship with the manager and his coaching staff, it's also medical and sports science, performance analysis, player liaison, team travel, scouting and negotiating transfer contracts. A big part of it is the Academy.
You have been at Liverpool for a number of months now - how much have you enjoyed the job so far?
I really enjoy the job but unfortunately we have been through a bumpy ride at times. We've had a change of manager, a few disappointing results like last week against Braga and being eliminated from the Europa League. I really enjoy it but there are downs in football, unfortunately. We've had some ups and downs and hopefully there will be a lot of ups in the future.
You've been involved in making a number of changes - most notably with regards to the first team manager - is your vision of a brighter future for the club starting to take shape now?
I think we know exactly where we want to get to. At first team level results matter. The way you play, obviously, and then results are very often the consequence of the way you play. We had to make a change which is never a nice thing to do, especially when you're dealing with someone who you have a very good relationship with, is a very good person and a very decent man. That was a tough decision made by the club, but we have been looking forward since that and making other appointments with key individuals as we look to restructure the club, which is what we said we'd do from day one. We are definitely looking forward to a bright future.
How pleased have you been with the job Kenny Dalglish has done since his arrival in January?
He's been great. Both on a personal and a professional level, Kenny and I have a very good relationship. He's very good to work with because of his character, he is always very positive and always making jokes. He hasn't made a joke about the French yet but I am sure that will come! Obviously the results have improved dramatically, which is good. It's just a happy camp at the moment around here and that's been very positive.
How much have you enjoyed dealing with and working with Kenny?
He's very positive and it's been a very collaborative partnership. It's been good not only for me, but for everybody at the club.
We haven't spoken to you since the transfer window closed. It was obviously a very busy period - was it enjoyable?
Actually, no! It's not enjoyable at the time because there is so much stress and so much going on. Being involved in three massive deals within five or six days is not very enjoyable. You can only enjoy it afterwards when you reflect on it and you think 'I think we have done well'. Only time will tell but even on deadline night and the next day I thought it was good. But only when it's finished can you relax a bit and start enjoying the work you have done and the team has done as a whole. It was a team effort but, again, there is so much stress and massive decisions to be made in a short period of time that it's not great enjoyment.
Luis Suarez is a player you will have identified and targeted along with your scouting team - why did you feel he would be right for this club?
For several reasons. Firstly, we never thought he would be available because the amount of money Ajax wanted for him after the World Cup was absolutely phenomenal and a lot higher than what we've paid.
The groundwork and intelligence coming out from the scouting team was very good. Everything you look at with Luis - his character, his attitude, his commitment - on top of all the football skills - made us feel he was the right person and the right individual. He had opportunities to join other clubs, including in the Premier League, during the window, but as soon as we started talking to him he was very committed and was saying 'I only want to play for Liverpool, I only want to come to Liverpool'. The more the player gives you this feedback then the more you are inclined to do the maximum to get him. It's an extra motivation. He was saying 'please come and get me, I want to play for Liverpool'. The more he was saying that the more motivated we were to get him. Since he arrived he has shown his talent and everything else from the personality point of view.
You obviously knew of his quality - but are you surprised with how quickly he has adapted to English football?
If I say no you will think I am arrogant and if I say yes you will say I don't know what I'm doing! I will say we were confident he would adapt quickly because if you look at his history as a player he left Uruguay when he was only 19 to go to Groningen in the north of Holland, which is not a glamorous city as Amsterdam can be. He hit the ground running straightaway and did extremely well. Ajax tried to sign him after one year but they had to wait another year and he kept doing well at Groningen. As soon as he arrived at Ajax, as a 20 or 21 year old, he could speak Dutch fluently and he was the team captain. To be a young player, a foreigner and the captain at such a big club with a great tradition and history makes you think he has something special from a character and personality point of view. So we thought if he's done that then he should not have problems adapting to the Premier League and to England. He didn't speak much English when he arrived but he can already make himself understood quite well, so it's been great so far.
After his goal on his debut we saw TV pictures of you high-fiving one of your colleagues in the Director's Box - it obviously meant a lot to you when that shot went in. Can you explain your emotions when the ball hit the net?
It was a mixture of a lot of things. First of all it was crucial that we got the second goal against Stoke City. I think Kenny was very brave to put him on. We were 1-0 up and under pressure, and instead of making a defensive change and trying to hold the score, Kenny made an offensive change. Luis had never kicked a ball with us, he had never trained because of all the paperwork we had to do. He had to go out of the country to get his work permit and that only came through a few hours before the game. So that was very brave from Kenny.
I was relieved we had scored the second goal. The high-five was because there was a lot of teamwork involved. We worked so hard to get this transfer done. It was a very, very long and difficult negotiation with Ajax and then, without going into details and boring people, all of the paperwork was very complicated. It was a way to say thank you to all of the people at the club who worked so hard to get the transfer. For him to score on his debut was a great gift for everybody who was involved.
Andy Carroll also arrived on deadline day - how delighted were you to tie that deal up and bring him to the club?
Very, very pleased for two reasons. First, because we were getting a top player. He's young, English, with all the attributes you want from a modern centre-forward in the way we want to play. Secondly, because getting two players triggered the fact that we could sell one player who didn't want to be here and get two who did want to be here. That was really a relief for those reasons.
He hasn't played too many games so far - but are you encouraged by what you've seen and with how he's linked up with Suarez?
Yes. I think they showed on Sunday that they will click together very quickly. They didn't have too much time to train yet because with our schedule we've been in Europe and Luis hasn't been eligible for Europe. He could only play in the league. So training has been difficult for Kenny to set up with his staff. It was difficult to get them together but I think on Sunday they showed at Sunderland in their first game - at a place where it's never easy to get the three points. If you hear what the other players are saying, they are very positive because they see what is happening at training and see that Andy is very difficult to handle for defenders and that Luis is so clever. You could see in several situations on Sunday that they were really looking for each other on the pitch and starting to click.
Nobody at Liverpool talks about Fernando Torres anymore - is that testament to the impact the new signings have already made on supporters?
I think it does. I think people would talk more about Fernando if he was scoring goals, also. I wish him to do so, just not against us, in the future. As I said, when you have someone who doesn't want to be here and you swap him for people who want to be here the atmosphere changes. It's like there is a bright new sky with no cloud over our head from the day that happened. So it's been only positive.
As soon as the transfer window closed, were you already thinking about any business the club will look to do in the summer?
Yes, definitely. When we prepare for the next season it's difficult to say we work to the January transfer window. We work from summer to summer. When the window shuts in September we are preparing for the next summer window, not the one in January because, as people say, usually not much goes on in January. We proved that wrong. As soon as it shuts on 31 January we are thinking about the summer and what we are going to do. We talk about different targets, about players we thought about in January but couldn't do and keep the scouting team working.
When you get two players like we have done it's very positive for the fans, but also for everyone inside the club as well. It keeps the motivation up, especially for the scouts.
Are you envisaging a busy summer?
Yes, I think it will be. The owners said from day one they want to improve things and turn things around quickly and I have said the same thing since I arrived. So I expect a busy summer.
We've spoken about the big money signings in Carroll and Suarez, but bringing in talented young players must be equally as important, What are Liverpool doing to ensure the club is an attractive proposition for the best young players in the world?
I have to give a lot of credit to the guys in the Academy. I think the way we play at the Academy and the style and the coaching programme that has been put together by Pep Segura and headed up by Frank McParland is second to none. Everybody who watches our youth team play, or Under-16s. Under-15s or Under-14s say that we have created an identity. Players know what to do when they have the ball. There is a playing philosophy which is attacking, which is about keeping the ball, having possession, dominating the play, dictating play from the midfield and that's definitely recognisable. The way we play, everybody says it's really attractive, positive football. That's a really good sign and the word is getting through over Europe already. I have had feedback from people who say they have seen our Under-16s and they are top, or they have seen the Under-18s on TV and they are top. Obviously the facilities are very good and the name Liverpool talks, wherever you are in the world. I have to admit that at youth level we are as attractive as we are at first team level and that's very positive as we are looking to bring in top talent throughout Britain and Europe.
A lot of fans have been very impressed with some of the players coming through the Liverpool Academy. Have you been surprised with the quality of the current crop of young players on the club's books and do you think any of them could force their way into the first team?
Yes, we do that as a staff. There are players we have identified and who we thing have a big chance of making it. But by experience I also know that some players are less mature physically or they have had an injury or sometimes they haven't found their best position yet. Sometimes the unexpected happens and a player who we didn't think would make it, makes it. The principle is not to dismiss anybody. It's to push through those we think are the best, but not to dismiss anybody and I am sure there will be positive surprises coming out of our youth team. But I've got to say it's not only our youth team that have been outstanding. The Under-16s beat Newcastle 5-1 on Saturday with an outstanding display. I've seen the game against United where we won 4-1 and we were outstanding there as well. So it's not only the youth team, underneath it's going very well.
Does that make you even more excited about this job?
Actually, it does. One part of my job is the Academy and it's a very exciting project. I spent all afternoon yesterday at the Academy and came back in the evening, and you can feel there are positive vibes coming out of there. We are very pleased with the talent coming through. We have five players in the England Under-17 squad next week with two more on standby and three or four with the Under-19s. It's all very positive and very exciting.
If we fail to qualify for the Champions League do you think there's any merit in the view held by some fans that the team would actually benefit next season in the league if we miss out on the Europa League?
I'm not sure I agree with that because I think Liverpool should always compete for the best competitions. I think we will have the squad depth next year to compete both in Europe and domestically if we manage to qualify for Europe. We've got to be there, we've got to be in Europe and at the top because we are Liverpool Football Club. Also, I've got to say it's sometimes easier to attract players when your club is involved in European competition. We'll do everything to get back there. We want to be in Europe, that's where we belong.
Whatever happens this season, and whether we qualify or don't qualify for European football next year, are you confident we are moving in the right direction?
I am totally confident. I know there is still a lot of work to do, we're not where we want to be yet and it'll probably take a few months to do that, but I am totally confident. All the signs are very positive and I can see only green lights, no red lights. With the backing of the owners and the way they are committed, I'm sure we'll have a bright future.
It covers pretty much all of the football side. Obviously I'm not getting involved in anything to do with team selection or training, that's the manager's remit. It's basically a day to day relationship with the manager and his coaching staff, it's also medical and sports science, performance analysis, player liaison, team travel, scouting and negotiating transfer contracts. A big part of it is the Academy.
You have been at Liverpool for a number of months now - how much have you enjoyed the job so far?
I really enjoy the job but unfortunately we have been through a bumpy ride at times. We've had a change of manager, a few disappointing results like last week against Braga and being eliminated from the Europa League. I really enjoy it but there are downs in football, unfortunately. We've had some ups and downs and hopefully there will be a lot of ups in the future.
You've been involved in making a number of changes - most notably with regards to the first team manager - is your vision of a brighter future for the club starting to take shape now?
I think we know exactly where we want to get to. At first team level results matter. The way you play, obviously, and then results are very often the consequence of the way you play. We had to make a change which is never a nice thing to do, especially when you're dealing with someone who you have a very good relationship with, is a very good person and a very decent man. That was a tough decision made by the club, but we have been looking forward since that and making other appointments with key individuals as we look to restructure the club, which is what we said we'd do from day one. We are definitely looking forward to a bright future.
How pleased have you been with the job Kenny Dalglish has done since his arrival in January?
He's been great. Both on a personal and a professional level, Kenny and I have a very good relationship. He's very good to work with because of his character, he is always very positive and always making jokes. He hasn't made a joke about the French yet but I am sure that will come! Obviously the results have improved dramatically, which is good. It's just a happy camp at the moment around here and that's been very positive.
How much have you enjoyed dealing with and working with Kenny?
He's very positive and it's been a very collaborative partnership. It's been good not only for me, but for everybody at the club.
We haven't spoken to you since the transfer window closed. It was obviously a very busy period - was it enjoyable?
Actually, no! It's not enjoyable at the time because there is so much stress and so much going on. Being involved in three massive deals within five or six days is not very enjoyable. You can only enjoy it afterwards when you reflect on it and you think 'I think we have done well'. Only time will tell but even on deadline night and the next day I thought it was good. But only when it's finished can you relax a bit and start enjoying the work you have done and the team has done as a whole. It was a team effort but, again, there is so much stress and massive decisions to be made in a short period of time that it's not great enjoyment.
Luis Suarez is a player you will have identified and targeted along with your scouting team - why did you feel he would be right for this club?
For several reasons. Firstly, we never thought he would be available because the amount of money Ajax wanted for him after the World Cup was absolutely phenomenal and a lot higher than what we've paid.
The groundwork and intelligence coming out from the scouting team was very good. Everything you look at with Luis - his character, his attitude, his commitment - on top of all the football skills - made us feel he was the right person and the right individual. He had opportunities to join other clubs, including in the Premier League, during the window, but as soon as we started talking to him he was very committed and was saying 'I only want to play for Liverpool, I only want to come to Liverpool'. The more the player gives you this feedback then the more you are inclined to do the maximum to get him. It's an extra motivation. He was saying 'please come and get me, I want to play for Liverpool'. The more he was saying that the more motivated we were to get him. Since he arrived he has shown his talent and everything else from the personality point of view.
You obviously knew of his quality - but are you surprised with how quickly he has adapted to English football?
If I say no you will think I am arrogant and if I say yes you will say I don't know what I'm doing! I will say we were confident he would adapt quickly because if you look at his history as a player he left Uruguay when he was only 19 to go to Groningen in the north of Holland, which is not a glamorous city as Amsterdam can be. He hit the ground running straightaway and did extremely well. Ajax tried to sign him after one year but they had to wait another year and he kept doing well at Groningen. As soon as he arrived at Ajax, as a 20 or 21 year old, he could speak Dutch fluently and he was the team captain. To be a young player, a foreigner and the captain at such a big club with a great tradition and history makes you think he has something special from a character and personality point of view. So we thought if he's done that then he should not have problems adapting to the Premier League and to England. He didn't speak much English when he arrived but he can already make himself understood quite well, so it's been great so far.
After his goal on his debut we saw TV pictures of you high-fiving one of your colleagues in the Director's Box - it obviously meant a lot to you when that shot went in. Can you explain your emotions when the ball hit the net?
It was a mixture of a lot of things. First of all it was crucial that we got the second goal against Stoke City. I think Kenny was very brave to put him on. We were 1-0 up and under pressure, and instead of making a defensive change and trying to hold the score, Kenny made an offensive change. Luis had never kicked a ball with us, he had never trained because of all the paperwork we had to do. He had to go out of the country to get his work permit and that only came through a few hours before the game. So that was very brave from Kenny.
I was relieved we had scored the second goal. The high-five was because there was a lot of teamwork involved. We worked so hard to get this transfer done. It was a very, very long and difficult negotiation with Ajax and then, without going into details and boring people, all of the paperwork was very complicated. It was a way to say thank you to all of the people at the club who worked so hard to get the transfer. For him to score on his debut was a great gift for everybody who was involved.
Andy Carroll also arrived on deadline day - how delighted were you to tie that deal up and bring him to the club?
Very, very pleased for two reasons. First, because we were getting a top player. He's young, English, with all the attributes you want from a modern centre-forward in the way we want to play. Secondly, because getting two players triggered the fact that we could sell one player who didn't want to be here and get two who did want to be here. That was really a relief for those reasons.
He hasn't played too many games so far - but are you encouraged by what you've seen and with how he's linked up with Suarez?
Yes. I think they showed on Sunday that they will click together very quickly. They didn't have too much time to train yet because with our schedule we've been in Europe and Luis hasn't been eligible for Europe. He could only play in the league. So training has been difficult for Kenny to set up with his staff. It was difficult to get them together but I think on Sunday they showed at Sunderland in their first game - at a place where it's never easy to get the three points. If you hear what the other players are saying, they are very positive because they see what is happening at training and see that Andy is very difficult to handle for defenders and that Luis is so clever. You could see in several situations on Sunday that they were really looking for each other on the pitch and starting to click.
Nobody at Liverpool talks about Fernando Torres anymore - is that testament to the impact the new signings have already made on supporters?
I think it does. I think people would talk more about Fernando if he was scoring goals, also. I wish him to do so, just not against us, in the future. As I said, when you have someone who doesn't want to be here and you swap him for people who want to be here the atmosphere changes. It's like there is a bright new sky with no cloud over our head from the day that happened. So it's been only positive.
As soon as the transfer window closed, were you already thinking about any business the club will look to do in the summer?
Yes, definitely. When we prepare for the next season it's difficult to say we work to the January transfer window. We work from summer to summer. When the window shuts in September we are preparing for the next summer window, not the one in January because, as people say, usually not much goes on in January. We proved that wrong. As soon as it shuts on 31 January we are thinking about the summer and what we are going to do. We talk about different targets, about players we thought about in January but couldn't do and keep the scouting team working.
When you get two players like we have done it's very positive for the fans, but also for everyone inside the club as well. It keeps the motivation up, especially for the scouts.
Are you envisaging a busy summer?
Yes, I think it will be. The owners said from day one they want to improve things and turn things around quickly and I have said the same thing since I arrived. So I expect a busy summer.
We've spoken about the big money signings in Carroll and Suarez, but bringing in talented young players must be equally as important, What are Liverpool doing to ensure the club is an attractive proposition for the best young players in the world?
I have to give a lot of credit to the guys in the Academy. I think the way we play at the Academy and the style and the coaching programme that has been put together by Pep Segura and headed up by Frank McParland is second to none. Everybody who watches our youth team play, or Under-16s. Under-15s or Under-14s say that we have created an identity. Players know what to do when they have the ball. There is a playing philosophy which is attacking, which is about keeping the ball, having possession, dominating the play, dictating play from the midfield and that's definitely recognisable. The way we play, everybody says it's really attractive, positive football. That's a really good sign and the word is getting through over Europe already. I have had feedback from people who say they have seen our Under-16s and they are top, or they have seen the Under-18s on TV and they are top. Obviously the facilities are very good and the name Liverpool talks, wherever you are in the world. I have to admit that at youth level we are as attractive as we are at first team level and that's very positive as we are looking to bring in top talent throughout Britain and Europe.
A lot of fans have been very impressed with some of the players coming through the Liverpool Academy. Have you been surprised with the quality of the current crop of young players on the club's books and do you think any of them could force their way into the first team?
Yes, we do that as a staff. There are players we have identified and who we thing have a big chance of making it. But by experience I also know that some players are less mature physically or they have had an injury or sometimes they haven't found their best position yet. Sometimes the unexpected happens and a player who we didn't think would make it, makes it. The principle is not to dismiss anybody. It's to push through those we think are the best, but not to dismiss anybody and I am sure there will be positive surprises coming out of our youth team. But I've got to say it's not only our youth team that have been outstanding. The Under-16s beat Newcastle 5-1 on Saturday with an outstanding display. I've seen the game against United where we won 4-1 and we were outstanding there as well. So it's not only the youth team, underneath it's going very well.
Does that make you even more excited about this job?
Actually, it does. One part of my job is the Academy and it's a very exciting project. I spent all afternoon yesterday at the Academy and came back in the evening, and you can feel there are positive vibes coming out of there. We are very pleased with the talent coming through. We have five players in the England Under-17 squad next week with two more on standby and three or four with the Under-19s. It's all very positive and very exciting.
If we fail to qualify for the Champions League do you think there's any merit in the view held by some fans that the team would actually benefit next season in the league if we miss out on the Europa League?
I'm not sure I agree with that because I think Liverpool should always compete for the best competitions. I think we will have the squad depth next year to compete both in Europe and domestically if we manage to qualify for Europe. We've got to be there, we've got to be in Europe and at the top because we are Liverpool Football Club. Also, I've got to say it's sometimes easier to attract players when your club is involved in European competition. We'll do everything to get back there. We want to be in Europe, that's where we belong.
Whatever happens this season, and whether we qualify or don't qualify for European football next year, are you confident we are moving in the right direction?
I am totally confident. I know there is still a lot of work to do, we're not where we want to be yet and it'll probably take a few months to do that, but I am totally confident. All the signs are very positive and I can see only green lights, no red lights. With the backing of the owners and the way they are committed, I'm sure we'll have a bright future.
