Bowen named Forest Green director of football

Forest Green Rovers have appointed Mark Bowen as their new director of football. The former Wales full-back was most recently working at League One side Reading as sport director and head of football operations until last year. The 61-year-old, who also played for Norwich, West Ham and Charlton during his playing career, was assistant manager to Mark Hughes with Wales, Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham, QPR and Southampton.He has previously been a head coach at Reading and also interim manager at AFC Wimbledon. Forest Green have been without a director of football since Allan Steele left in early 2024.The Gloucestershire club finished third in the National League last season but were beaten by Southend on penalties in the play-offs to miss out on the Wembley final and a chance to return to League Two.

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Liverpool have completed the signing of Florian Wirtz for what could be a British record fee of £116 million. The German international has joined from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100 million, with a further £16 million in add-ons dependent on how the 22-year-old performs at Anfield. Florian Wirtz is a Red. — Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 20, 2025 That would eclipse the potential £115 million Chelsea paid Brighton and Hove Albion for Moisés Caicedo, with the move a real statement of intent by Arne Slot's title-winning side. Wirtz told 'I feel very happy and very proud. Finally it's done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it's done and I am really happy. 'I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League. 'I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it's perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I'm really looking forward to playing my first game.' 'He combines talent with work rate' The most persuasive scout report Liverpool received for their record signing came from the man who sold him, Bayer Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes. 'Such a good player,' Rolfes remarked about Wirtz in an interview in 2024, setting the agenda early with a price tag in excess of £100 million. 'He shows a great will to win and to work. It's not normally the attributes of a No 10, but he combines talent with the work rate of a six or a defensive player along with producing special magic moments.' With that, the prototype dream elite footballer was described, the effusive praise giving the impression Wirtz's qualities are a perfect fit whether the manager is Xabi Alonso, Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique or – as Liverpool are fortunate enough to now experience – Arne Slot. It remains to be seen if the predictions of greatness prove accurate, but herein lies the answer to the question of where Wirtz will fit at Anfield. He has been earmarked to operate in that creative zone between a midfielder and No 9, adding productivity with the ball while guaranteeing the necessary application and discipline to retrieve it. Older football watchers have been encouraged to imagine a modern-day Peter Beardsley, a Liverpool club record signing in 1987 who was at his best when at his most selfless, taking pleasure from the combinations which often sent John Barnes and John Aldridge to goal for his club (and later Andy Cole when back at Newcastle), or Gary Lineker for his country. Wirtz the Wizard 🧙‍♂️ — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) October 11, 2024 It is hoped others will see reason to compare Wirtz to Roberto Firmino, who took the concept of the false nine to an optimum level, the Brazilian never a prolific goalscorer but pivotal in ensuring opposition defenders felt smothered as the wide strikers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané assumed most of the glory. Whether Wirtz regularly assumes the Firmino role under Slot will depend on further Anfield transfer activity. In his triumphant debut season, Slot's preference was for a more orthodox No 9, but this changed because Diogo Jota was too often unavailable and Darwin Núñez too unpredictable. Liverpool's best performances of last season saw Luis Díaz operating as a central striker. With Wirtz, Liverpool's forward line has the potential to become a moveable feast, not just from game to game but half-to-half or even minute-to-minute as and when tactical tweaks are necessary. If Liverpool can sign another high-class attacker who can play as a No 9, that will become a banquet, Wirtz playing just behind a recognised goalscorer while supporting the midfield. That would give Slot more opportunity to rotate his first choice midfielders of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the latter preferring to play from deeper. Pre-season may also see Wirtz occasionally used from the left or in a 'double 10' – a formation Liverpool used successfully against Manchester City last February when Slot did not select a recognised central striker. Wirtz's multi-functionality – and ability to enable others to assume different positions to elevate their own game – is why Liverpool were so keen to get him. ⚽️ Die Werkself-Treffer gegen Leipzig - Flo macht auch wieder, was er will.. 👀 #RBLB04 | #Bundesliga | #Bayer04 — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) January 28, 2025 They become champions despite being far from the finished product, the decision to invest so much on a 'game-changer' proof that, even amid triumph, Slot recognised certain deficiencies. The clues about what Slot wants Liverpool to become have been obvious via his words and deeds. Among the most cutting remarks he made about his team came when Slot admitted the champions 'are not the type to score two or three goals in the first 25 minutes'. Slot said this often in the run-in because he recognised even those games his side controlled and dominated had the potential to be a grind in the final quarter. His team scored plenty last season, but they never blew teams away and could have paid a price at the end of matches when opponents were more inclined to take risks in pursuit of a draw. With Wirtz on board, he will anticipate more ruthlessness. 'Xabi Alonso: Florian is world-class' Slot's praise of Paris St-Germain long before they showed their form that would knock out Liverpool and go on to win the Champions League also signposted where he wants his side to grow – more pace and penetration a prerequisite if the English and French champions meet again next season. The Dutchman's ability to change a game from the bench will be enhanced thanks to the multi-tasking Wirtz, too. Liverpool signed him after reports about his professionalism and willingness to listen, learn and adapt to coaching instructions. 'Flo is world-class. He has a very mature mind,' said his former manager, Alonso, when discussing why he had so many suitors. Why didn't Real Madrid sign him, then? Because they already have players of the same profile and there is a school of thought that if Wirtz excels in England, there is plenty of time for his next stop to be Spain. Should Liverpool add more Premier League titles or the Champions League by then, Wirtz's valuation will exceed £116 million. Regardless of the size of the fee, Liverpool believe they will reap the profits of their investment on and off the pitch for at least the next five years. Against opponents who sit deep, this may be the more familiar set-up, with Wirtz behind the front three without compromising the energy and pressing capacities required from midfield. The personnel may differ ahead of Wirtz – especially if Liverpool sign a new number 9 and if Szoboszlai takes up a new deeper role – but the principle of Wirtz as supplier and workaholic ball-gatherer remains. This is the tried and trusted formation which won Liverpool the Premier League. In this case, Wirtz is more like a 'false nine' reminiscent of Firmino, triggering the high press out of possession, while adding creativity and goal threat when Liverpool dominate the ball. It seems unlikely this is Slot's ultimate vision as Wirtz is seen as a prolific creator more than goalscorer and his talent will be better served providing assists to someone playing in front of him. Here, Wirtz switches with Díaz (or a new No 9 if Liverpool sign one) playing from the left, but regularly drifting inside to more often than not occupy the number 10 zone rather than play as a wide man per se. It's a slight tweak which would demand more of whoever is playing left-back (with the signing of Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez having just been agreed). More overlaps will be required to provide width on the left. Not the 4-4-2 of English tradition, and as much a 4-2-4 in possession, but this is a variation of the formula Slot used when comfortably beating City at the Etihad on the way to the title. In that case, Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai operated as a 'double 10' meaning the City centre-backs had no central striker to pick-up, and Liverpool's midfield runners controlled the game while helping to pack defence. It's not likely to be the preferred choice of Slot – Liverpool had less than 34 per cent possession against City playing this way – but again Wirtz's multi-functionality makes it an option.