Who is Markus Pilawa and why are Liverpool eager to sign him?

Markus Pilawa seems set to join Liverpool after Dave Fallows left the club. But who is the scout and why do the Reds want him?

Anfield Watch understands that Markus Pilawa is signing for Liverpool. He would join the scouting setup at Anfield as the major reshuffle continues at the club.

But who exactly is Pilawa and why are Liverpool after him? Here’s what you need to know.

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Who is Markus Pilawa?

Pilawa is a 47-year-old scout who spent a long time working at VFL Bochum. He was there from 2004 until 2012 before a move to Borussia Dortmund beckoned.

It’s a move that went very well. After three and a half years, he was promoted to Chief Scout, taking over from Sven Mislintat.

Mislintat had fallen out with then-head coach Thomas Tuchel (and would join Arsenal) and Dortmund believed Pilawa was in a great position to replace him.

They were correct. Pilawa was very successful as Chief Scout - but would leave the club in 2022. This was a controversial one.

Pilawa immediately joined Bayern Munich, with some suggesting it had to do with Dortmund hiring Laurent Busser from Bayern one month prior. He was supposed to be Pilawa’s assistant, essentially, but had the top job within 30 days as the incumbent went to Bavaria to replace him.

And the drama continued. Just last month, Pilawa left Bayern after they agreed terms with him on a premature exit. His replacement? Nils Schmadtke, son of Jorg Schmadtke - the man who left Liverpool as sporting director back in January.

So with Pilawa out of work, he’s perfectly placed to join the Liverpool revolution.

Why is Markus Pilawa highly rated?

Pilawa’s promotion to head of scouting at Dortmund coincides with their most notable transfers. They essentially started signing the world’s best young players - and selling them off for enormous profit.

Jadon Sancho joined in 2017 and was quickly in their first-team. Jamie Gittens, their most recent prospect, joined in 2022 shortly before Pilawa left.

But it’s his efforts in the ‘big two’ that really stand out.

Erling Haaland

Rewind back to January 2020 and Dortmund pulled off the most notable transfer in world football: Erling Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg. Pilawa was instrumental in making it happen, explaining to the Athletic that they’d have their eyes on the Norwegian for three years.

Initially spotting him in August 2016, they quickly watched every game of his. Haaland joined Salzburg, however, and Dortmund continued to keep an eye on him. By the time he exploded into a world-class player, they were in a position to sign him.

They’d had him on their shortlist as a ‘concrete’ option for the last year. Now they were willing to pay his release clause and convinced him to join by making it clear they needed him. The charm offensive worked.

Jude Bellingham

Later that year, Dortmund made their push for Jude Bellingham. They’d had him shortlisted, like Haaland, for years - per the Athletic - and became so convinced of his ability that they went in hard for the 17-year-old.

They sent him shirts, invited him on a tour, and ‘tried to make him a bit of a fan’ before signing him. While Pilawa’s efforts in that particular charm offensive may not have been great, it’s the fact that Dortmund were so trusting of their scouting efforts to make a push like this that stands out.

Bellingham, like Haaland, would pick Dortmund. They’d have him in their first team very shortly and it took no time at all to prove all of that scouting correct.

Pilawa’s team nailed it with Sancho, Haaland and Bellingham. Liverpool will hope they can get something similar at Anfield - but without the need to sell these players on down the line.

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