Dalglish: Signings have been my choice

Following the news that Damien Comolli is to leave his role as director of football strategy at Liverpool FC, manager Kenny Dalglish has told the media that all signings since he arrived at the Club have been his choice – not Comolli’s.

Much speculation has surrounded the signings of the likes of Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll.

Each of these players appear to have been signed with the ‘moneyball’ strategy in mind – something which Comolli was an advocate of and was appointed to carry out at LFC – but when Dalglish arrived he sought to bring a British core to the squad.

Dalglish said on Thursday morning “Everyone who has come into the club since Damien has been here was of my choice.”

The Reds boss also said that he enjoyed a good professional and social relationship with Comolli.

“He has been really helpful in every transfer target that we’ve gone for. Once I made the choice who I wanted, Damien went away and did a fantastic job of bringing them in.”

However, we are told that there were instances, particularly last summer, where Comolli had identified other foreign targets but instead Dalglish insisted on the British equivalent.

Perhaps Comolli has been made a scapegoat for the inflated transfer fees we paid rather than the actual signings themselves.

The Frenchman’s departure leaves Liverpool fans wondering if this is an admission from the club’s owners, FSG, that the moneyball approach does not work in football. Or could it be, that Comolli’s departure has just opened up a new position for Kenny Dalglish this summer. Only time will tell.

For anybody being overly critical of Comolli, remember he has been responsible for the agreement with Uruguayan side FC Nacional, which some have described as being hugely significant.

One thing is for sure, this move shows that FSG are definitely not happy with how this season has progressed.

Only time will tell what FSG’s next move is to be; either they are to appoint another director of football, hand full control to Dalglish, or remove Dalglish too. It could be a busy summer ahead.

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