Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised Jorg Schmadtke amid reports the German will become the club's new sporting director.
Schmadtke left Wolfsburg in February after four and a half years, where he is known for recruiting young talent with high potential.
After two consecutive seasons in 16th place in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg signed the former goalkeeper as sporting director, then finished sixth, fourth and third in the following seasons.
Last season brought a disappointing 12th place, but Niko Kovac's side are currently in 6th place and are trying to qualify for the European Cup for next season.
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Players like Maxence Lecroix, Patrick Wimmer and Ridle Baku - all signed before the age of 23 - are all success stories - and Schmadtke could use a similar strategy at Liverpool, on a larger scale. , if he must be named. Writing in The Athletic on Monday, journalist James Pearce said negotiations between the Reds and the 59-year-old were "ongoing".
And during his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game against Aston Villa in the Premier League, Klopp was asked about the head of the transfer department.
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Klopp on Schmadtke
Klopp and Schmadtke have never faced each other in their post-match careers, although they did meet the former goalkeeper during a trial at Fortuna Dusseldorf in the late 1980s.
Klopp joked in an interview with Wolfsburger Allgemeine (via The Telegraph) in January that his failure to make this try must have frustrated Schmadtke - as he never offered a coaching contract. for him at his clubs.
But the Liverpool boss also praised the 59-year-old's talent in this interview. When asked again about him on Friday, he responded to those views - although he declined to comment on the details surrounding a potential nomination.
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He explained:
“If this [date] happens, it will not be the signing of Jurgen Klopp, either because we are both German or know each other.
"We started at the same time, our second career. I became the coach at Mainz and he became the sporting director at Aachen. The two teams have similar status. That's why we got to know each other a little bit.
“I know he's a good guy, a smart guy. Very good at what he did in Germany, certainly very successful.
"Good character, good personality. Funny, good. I knew that in a few moments off the pitch."
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