Reds owner John Henry explained the decision to hire within the club:
“We conducted an extensive recruitment search and met with outstanding candidates who sought this role but in the end, after having worked with Ian and other top executives within the club, we realised that Ian had all of the attributes necessary to lead the club forward.”
Ayre has worked at the club since July 2007 on the financial side. Meanwhile Damien Comolli, appointed by FSG in November as director of strategy, now fills the vacant directer of football position at the club. Henry highlighted Comolli’s talent spotting ability, saying:
“He has a track record of identifying young talent and has already made significant contributions to the first team and academy. Damien played a leading role in our January transfer window activity with the recruitment of Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll.”
