Liverpool FC have confirmed the appointment of Richard Hughes as the club’s new sporting director, working under the returning Michael Edwards.
Hughes arrives after 10 years at Bournemouth, where he served the majority of his time as their technical director.
The club have announced that his new position will officially start on June 1, when his stay at Bournemouth officially ends.
He will be in charge of negotiating transfers and contracts, while liaising closely with the club’s recruitment staff, taking over the role from the already departed Jorg Schmadtke.
Hughes’ work behind the scenes may not be familiar to fans, but he may ring more bells for the times he played for Portsmouth and Bournemouth – he faced the Reds on nine different occasions in the 2000s.
The 44-year-old will work within a newly restructured hierarchy at the club, which now includes Edwards, the CEO of Football within FSG, chief executive Billy Hogan, head of recruitment Dave Fallows and chief scout Barry Hunter.
Hughes, alongside Edwards, will be tasked with negotiating the appointment and arrival of Liverpool’s next manager, with Xabi Alonso and Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim among the leading contenders.
Liverpool’s new sporting director has an existing relationship with Edwards, with the pair having met during their Portsmouth days, when Hughes was a player and Edwards a performance analyst.
As for the 44-year-old’s work at Bournemouth, he helped bring in the likes of Aaron Ramsdale (£800k), Nathan Ake (£20m), Dominic Solanke (£19m), Philip Billing (£15m) and Lloyd Kelly (£13m).
In addition to player signings and sales, he also played a key role in Bournemouth landing Andoni Iraola as their manager.
His policy is much like the one we have seen at Liverpool throughout Jurgen Klopp‘s tenure, with a focus on signing quality players who are good people and have the right attitude.
Hughes ticks plenty of boxes for the Reds, and he is set for a busy few months ahead as the club find their feet in a post-Klopp era.
