Liverpool Begin Sporting Director Search After Richard Hughes Joins Al-Hilal

Liverpool have begun the search for a new sporting director after Richard Hughes completed his move to Al-Hilal. BBC Sport reports that the Premier League club wants to make a swift appointment, with Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon overseeing the process. It will be Liverpool’s fifth search for a sporting director since 2022.

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Hughes arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2024 and later oversaw the appointments of Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola as manager. According to the BBC, he told the club earlier this year that he wanted to pursue a new challenge in Saudi Arabia. His departure comes one year earlier than Liverpool had expected.

The change also extends beyond Hughes. BBC Sport says recruitment staff members Mark Burchill and Craig McKee have followed him to the Middle East. Michael Edwards, who appointed Hughes, has also resigned from his position as FSG’s chief executive of football, leaving Liverpool to reshape an important part of their sporting leadership.

Liverpool are considering internal candidates but have not ruled out an outside appointment. The BBC identified Hughes’s former assistant David Woodfine as one potential option. Woodfine previously served as the club’s director of loans. Julian Ward, Liverpool’s sporting director from 2022 to 2023 and now FSG’s technical director, was also named as a possible candidate. No appointment has been announced.

The incoming director will inherit several unresolved squad decisions. Goalkeeper Alisson and captain Virgil van Dijk are both out of contract next summer, while the BBC reports that there are currently no talks over a new deal for midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, whose agreement runs until 2028. Liverpool did not strengthen midfield after Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan.

The appointment will also shape the club’s relationship with Iraola, who signed a two-year contract after replacing Slot. Hughes knew Iraola from their time at Bournemouth and played a central role in bringing him to Liverpool. The next sporting director will therefore arrive with responsibility for recruitment, contract planning and a working partnership with a recently installed manager.