Damien Comolli, who was once linked with Liverpool, will be returning to Anfield as the current President of Toulouse FC for the Europa League match against them on Thursday. It will be an interesting moment for fans and observers to see how his team perform against his former club Liverpool.
Comolli career so far
Comolli joined Arsenal in 1996 and spent seven seasons as a European scout. He served as technical director of Saint-Étienne between 2004-2005. Comolli became director of football at Tottenham Hotspur in 2005. Comolli return to Saint-Étienne as sporting director in 2008.
Comolli’s arrival to Liverpool
Damien Comolli’s appointment as the director of football strategy at Liverpool in November 2010 was one of the major appointments made by FSG (Fenway Sports Group) after their takeover of the club. His primary responsibilities was overseeing the recruitment of new players. Notably, during his tenure, he played a significant role in the signings of two prominent players, Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll, on the 2011 transfer deadline day. Carroll’s signing was particularly noteworthy as it broke the record for the most expensive British player at the time. Comolli was officially appointed as the director of football at Liverpool on 22 March 2011
Damien’s sudden departure from Liverpool
Liverpool did manage to win the League Cup during the 2011-2012 season. However, despite this success, the team was underperforming in the Premier League. Some of Damien Comolli’s signings were not delivering as expected. He was dismissed from his role in April 2012 due to it. He later claimed that FSG chief John Henry admitted that his sacking was a mistake.
Comolli’s statement after leaving Anfield
After leaving Liverpool Comolli stated,
“I could see they would be absolutely ruthless if they didn’t feel comfortable with something, and they were ruthless with me at the time. I think they panicked when they got rid of me and lacked experience. We were on the right path with the right players and the right ingredients.”
Damien also said that after his dismissal from Liverpool, John Henry visited the club a week later for a review. In the meeting he had exclaimed, ‘Oh my God, we’ve sacked the wrong person.”
