Recent Appointment of Damien Comolli Can Help Liverpool Land St. Etienne Captain Blaise Matuidi

On Wednesday, Liverpool announced the appointment of Damien Comolli as their new director of football strategy, and there's no grace period with this position.

The Reds are already counting the ways Comolli can help them with new additions come January, and they have their sights set on Saint-Etienne captain Blaise Matuidi.

According to a report by The Daily Mail, Comolli — who left St. Etienne on Tuesday — is now focusing his efforts on luring Matuidi to Anfield. It's reported that both Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in the 23-year-old midfielder, but the Reds take the upper hand with Comolli on their side.

Comolli was one of the main reasons Matuidi has stayed put at St. Etienne for so long. It was just last month that Comolli said the "lure of the big club" has been tempting the defensive-minded midfielder for a while.

"He is our captain and a major player for us," Comolli said while working as sporting director at St. Etienne."He's done well for us last season but we convinced him to stay. But I'm not being naive, I know it will be difficult to keep him and know he will end up in England or one of the top clubs in Europe."

Now that he's joined Roy Hodgson and the staff at Anfield, Comolli is ready to help Matuidi transition into the Premier League. Known for his success in recruiting young talent, Comolli can definitely help develop a younger crop of players in the Liverpool system.

A transition to the Premier League has been a dream of Matuidi's for some time. Last month when he was pursued by Juventus in Serie A, Matuidi said he was more interested in making the leap to England.

"It is nice to know a club like Juventus is following you or asking about you," Matuidi said. "But the league that would suit me best is the Premier League. This is due to tactical, cultural and physical reasons, and the atmosphere in the stadiums."

Matuidi is best known for his combative style of play on defense and his playmaking abilities from the midfield.