This has Michael Edwards written all over it, genius Liverpool deal is on | OneFootball

Michael Edwards could pull off a dream move.

Since returning as FSG's Head of Football Operations, Edwards has played a major role in shaping Liverpool's direction, including overseeing a huge amount of spending over the last couple of transfer windows.

When you're making big decisions and investing that kind of money, criticism is always going to follow if things don't go to plan. The results so far have been mixed. Yes, Liverpool won the Premier League title shortly after Edwards' return, but since then the club has spent around £450m and suffered a significant decline, ultimately leading to Arne Slot's departure.

That said, it's still very early days. Many of the players Liverpool have brought in are young, highly-rated talents who were signed with the long term in mind. Judging them too quickly would be unfair, especially when their best years are likely still ahead of them.

There's also the question of Edwards' own long-term commitment to the project.

When he returned to Liverpool, one of the biggest talking points was the prospect of FSG building a multi-club model. Edwards himself made it clear that the opportunity to help develop that structure was a major reason behind his decision to come back.

Yet the project seems to have gone quiet. It's no longer discussed as frequently as it once was, and there have even been suggestions that plans have stalled altogether. Naturally, that has led some to wonder what Edwards' future at Liverpool might look like.

His current contract runs until 2027, and so far there has been little indication from either Liverpool or FSG about extending it beyond then.

Despite some of the uncertainty surrounding his future, Edwards is still doing plenty of impressive work behind the scenes and helping lay the foundations for Liverpool's next era through a clear shift in recruitment strategy.

Under his leadership, Liverpool have become far more aggressive in exploring markets they rarely targeted in the past. The club has expanded its scouting network significantly, casting a much wider net across different countries and competitions in search of elite young talent.

We're already starting to see the results of that approach. Armin Pecsi, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye have all arrived, while Sidy Barhama Ndiaye - who spent two weeks training with Liverpool last summer - is still expected to join the club once he turns 18, barring any major changes.

Liverpool have also secured the signing of Samuel Martinez from Colombia, with the youngster set to arrive next year when he celebrates his 18th birthday.

Meanwhile, the Reds appear to be closing in on a deal for highly-rated Manchester City prospect Xavier Parker.

And the recruitment drive isn't stopping there. According to Peter O'Rourke, Liverpool are also close to signing Zack Trinder from Wolves and Josh Chigwada from Everton. Both players are England U15 internationals and are widely regarded as among the standout talents in their age group.

If all those deals are completed, Edwards will have overseen the recruitment of an elite goalkeeping prospect, two outstanding centre-back prospects, two highly-rated midfielders and an exciting winger in the space of just 12 months. That's before even mentioning the capture of Will Wright.

While questions remain about Liverpool's wider project and Edwards' long-term future, there can be little doubt that the club is investing heavily in the next generation.

© IMAGO - Bekhruz Karimov Liverpool

Liverpool are still in talks to sign Diego Pelembe from Black Bulls in the Mozambique after he caught the eye at the U17 AFCON and they are exploring a move for Daniel Banjaqui as well.

Meanwhile they made an offer to Andria Bartishvili from Iberia in Georgia.

It's all gearing up towards an exciting summer bringing in players from across the globe and a new name should also be added to the list.

An 18-year-old who is playing his club football in Uzbekistan but also catching the eye at the World Cup.

Bekhruz Karimov is his country's youngest ever player at the tournament. He's come up against Luis Diaz and Nuno Mendes while playing as a right-back and held his own on both occasions, winning the most duels and completing the most dribbles while also making 15 recoveries in the two games.

He's an athletic profile, who is tenacious and has a wand of a right foot that he unleashed against Colombia and was unlucky not to score hitting the bar from long range.

Karimov is exactly the type of player Liverpool have been targeting all summer. This has Edwards written all over him. It would be a crazy move to sign someone from Uzbekistan, but for Karimov, it just makes sense.