Liverpool have confirmed that Richard Hughes has stepped down as sporting director.
Hughes has informed FSG of his decision to pursue a new challenge and is expected to take up a sporting director role with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. His departure comes after Michael Edwards also decided to leave his senior football role with FSG.
And I’ll be honest.
I think Liverpool need to get this next appointment absolutely right.
Because I don’t believe the club can afford another sporting director who leaves supporters questioning the direction of the squad.
Hughes’ Liverpool tenure is over
Hughes arrived at Liverpool in 2024 after spending around a decade at Bournemouth.
He was brought in by Edwards and became a key figure in Liverpool’s post-Jürgen Klopp transition.
He played an important role in the appointment of Arne Slot, who went on to win the Premier League in his first season. Hughes also oversaw a huge amount of transfer activity, with Liverpool spending around £670m during his time at the club.
There were certainly some major successes.
Alexander Isak.
Florian Wirtz.
Bradley Barcola.
And other important additions to the squad.
So I’m not going to pretend Hughes achieved nothing at Liverpool.
He didn’t.
But ultimately, sporting directors are judged on the squad they leave behind.
And that’s where I have concerns.
Liverpool’s squad still feels incomplete
This is my biggest frustration.
Liverpool have spent an enormous amount of money.
Yet after the transfer window closed, we were still talking about the lack of a specialist right-back and the absence of a genuine defensive midfielder.
Those were two of the positions I wanted Liverpool to address.
They didn’t.
Liverpool also attempted to strengthen at right-back late in the window, with a reported approach for Chelsea’s Malo Gusto failing to produce a deal.
That leaves the club relying on the players already there.
And that isn’t necessarily disastrous.
But it does leave questions.
We need someone better
This is where I’m going to be blunt.
Liverpool need to find someone better.
Not simply another sporting director.
Not someone who is available.
Not someone who has a good reputation.
They need someone who understands exactly what this football club requires.
Someone who can identify weaknesses before they become problems.
Someone who can work with Iraola and build a squad around his football.
And someone who isn’t afraid to make difficult decisions.
Because Liverpool cannot keep rebuilding the same areas of the squad every summer.
Spending money isn’t enough
One of the easiest things to point to is the amount Liverpool have spent.
Around £670m is an enormous figure.
But spending money doesn’t automatically mean you’ve built the perfect squad.
You can spend £100m on one player and still have three positions that need strengthening.
That’s why I don’t judge a sporting director simply by the size of the transfer fees.
I judge them by the balance of the squad.
And that’s where I think Liverpool still have work to do.
I’m not blaming everything on Hughes
To be fair, I don’t think it would be right to put every problem at Hughes’ door.
There are decisions made by FSG.
There are decisions made by managers.
There are recruitment departments, scouts, analysts and medical staff involved.
And football transfers don’t always work out exactly as planned.
Hughes also inherited a club going through a huge period of change.
Michael Edwards left.
Arne Slot eventually left.
And now Andoni Iraola is trying to establish himself as Liverpool manager.
That’s a lot of change.
So I’m not going to say Richard Hughes was solely responsible for every problem Liverpool have.
But his replacement has to learn from it
This is the important part.
Liverpool shouldn’t simply move on and pretend everything is fine.
The new sporting director needs to look at the squad and ask some difficult questions.
Where are we short?
Which players aren’t good enough?
Which positions need strengthening?
What does Iraola need?
And perhaps most importantly:
What does Liverpool need to look like in two or three years?
That’s the job.
The timing is interesting
Hughes’ departure follows Edwards’ decision to step down from his FSG football role.
According to reports, Hughes had informed the ownership earlier this year that he wanted to pursue a fresh challenge, with Edwards’ departure having an influence on the timing.
So this isn’t something that suddenly happened because Liverpool’s transfer window didn’t go perfectly.
The decision had been coming.
Hughes stayed through the summer and completed the club’s transfer business before departing.
That is important context.
But it doesn’t change the fact that Liverpool now need to replace him.
This could actually be an opportunity
And maybe that’s the positive way of looking at it.
Liverpool have a chance to reset.
Find somebody with fresh ideas.
Find somebody with a ruthless approach to recruitment.
Find somebody who can work alongside Iraola and make sure the squad develops in the right direction.
The next sporting director shouldn’t simply be expected to continue what Hughes was doing.
They should be expected to improve it.
Liverpool cannot afford to get this wrong
That’s my biggest concern.
Liverpool have already gone through several sporting directors in a relatively short period, and the club now needs stability in the football operation.
The Guardian reports that Mike Gordon is leading the search for Hughes’ successor.
I hope they take their time.
I hope they speak to the best candidates.
And I hope they don’t simply appoint someone because their CV looks impressive.
We need better
Richard Hughes deserves credit for some of what he achieved at Liverpool.
He helped oversee a major rebuild.
He was involved in the appointment of Slot.
He helped bring some outstanding players to Anfield.
But Liverpool supporters are entitled to look at the squad and say:
It still isn’t complete.
The next sporting director has to address that.
We need someone who can look at the Liverpool squad and see the weaknesses before everyone else does.
Someone who can give Iraola exactly what he needs.
Someone who can build a squad capable of competing for everything.
Liverpool have a huge decision to make now.
And for me, this is simple:
Don’t just replace Richard Hughes.
Find someone better.
Because Liverpool cannot afford to get this appointment wrong.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Leave a Reply