Liverpool CEO Peter Moore criticises how the likes of Manchester United are run, saying any ‘modern club’ should not have staff like Ed Woodward involved in transfer business
- Moore believes it’s best chief executives like himself aren’t involved in transfers
- Liverpool supremo admitted to knowing little detail of the club’s player dealings
- He wasn’t kept up to speed with development in £75m signing of Virgil van Dijk
- Moore criticised the approach of clubs such as rivals Manchester United
- United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is closely involved in signings
Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at rivals Manchester United by saying it’s best those in his position aren’t involved in transfer dealings.
His Old Trafford counterpart Ed Woodward is often criticised for being too closely involved with United’s recruitment, in contrast to the way things are done at Anfield.
And while United’s transfer strategy appears incoherent, Liverpool have efficiently built a squad in recent years that has already won the Champions League and is now challenging for the Premier League.
Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore has explained why people in his position shouldn’t be involved in player recruitment decisions
It could be a seen as a dig at Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who is more closely involved in the club’s transfer dealings
Explaining his methods in an interview with the New York Times, Moore said: ‘The modern game of football still has CEOs running football clubs and also doing the transfer business and negotiating with agents.
‘That’s not how I believe a modern club should work.’
Moore, who has been Liverpool’s chief executive since February 2017 after moving from video game maker Electronic Arts, admits in the interview he didn’t keep up to speed with the club’s efforts to acquire £75m defender Virgil van Dijk.
He also says he often doesn’t know the intricacies of a deal until only minutes before the club makes the official announcement of the signing.
Moore admitted he knew few details of the club’s recruitment of £75m defender Virgil van Dijk
Moore cites the example of when his predecessor Ian Ayre flew to Santiago in Chile to sign Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino during the 2015 Copa America.
‘There’s a difference between dabbling and interfering,’ said Moore. ‘My view is there’s 24 hours in the day, and if you’re flying to Santiago for three days – that’s what Ian did, and that’s fine, we were organised differently – then who’s looking after everything else that’s going on?
‘I stay out of the way.’
Moore’s predecessor Ian Ayre took a more hands on approach to the club’s transfer dealings
Moore’s method of conducting transfer business contrast with the hands-on approach of Woodward, a former investment banker, at United.
Woodward has been criticised for an expensive scattergun approach to United’s transfer dealings over the past few years which has failed to deliver the desired success on the field.
Last month, Woodward hit back at suggestions he was responsible for their poor recruitment, saying it was a collective effort involving the club’s scouts and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
‘There is a myth that we have non-football people making football decisions and I think it’s insulting to the brilliant people who work on the football side in this club,’ Woodward said.
