Having previously announced his imminent departure from AFC Bournemouth, Richard Hughes has been announced as Liverpool’s new sporting director, he will take up the post at the Anfield club on 1st June 2024, after working the last remaining months at Dean Court.
The Premier League title contenders are currently working through an entire restructure of their operations at the very top of the club with Fenway Sports Group previously announcing a new CEO of Football in Michael Edwards.
Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes previously met each other during their time at Portsmouth, where Hughes spent 9 years as a player, sandwiched between his two stints with the Cherries.
Hughes told liverpoolfc.com…
“I am incredibly proud to be offered this opportunity. Liverpool FC is a unique club and I’m grateful to be given a chance to serve it in this capacity.
“People rightly talk about the rich history this organisation can boast, but it is the present and future which really excites me. Jürgen Klopp is leading an outstanding team and squad and alongside that the commitment to young players and their pathway to the first team is also outstanding.
“I am fully aware of the expectations and responsibilities that come with taking this position. It will be my job, working with Michael [Edwards] and leading the football operations team already in place, plus the wider staff at the AXA Training Centre, to make good decisions.
“That’s really what the job entails: you have to make the kind of good decisions which enhance the prospects of having a team that wins and excites the supporters. It is what Liverpool have done well for a very long time and the benefits are there for everyone to see.”
Richard Hughes joined the recruitment team at AFC Bournemouth under Eddie Howe following his retirement from professional football in the summer of 2014, laterly becoming first-team technical director in 2016.
In these roles, he has overseen the club’s rise from the second-tier of English football to the Premier League and has played a part in all transfers during AFC Bournemouth’s Premier League era.
AFC Bournemouth have already announced that former Cherries captain Simon Francis will replace Hughes as technical director at AFC Bournemouth.
Your say…
Waz afcb said…
Hughes has signed:
Tavernier for 10m
Semenyo for 10m
Kerkez for 13m
Zabarnyi for 20m
Senesi for 13m
Christie for 2.5m
Kluivert for 8m
Aarons for 8m
All deals represent ridiculously good value for money.
Even his more ‘debatable’ signings-
Dango- played a pivotal role in our survival last season, played a starring role in the wins against both Liverpool and Spurs and it’s easy to forget he put in several good showings playing as a right-sided attacker. This year he has also shown himself to be a very capable left-back too. For me, he’s been a good signing and has so much scope to improve.
Adams- Iraola himself said that we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to sign Adams if he wasn’t suffering from his injury at the time, Chelsea were prepared to sign him if he had been fit remember? The club decided to sign the player even though they knew he’d be unavailable for a few months as they felt his calibre made him worth it. We don’t know who made that decision but I think a fair assumption would be that the final decision was made by Foley, not Hughes.
Scott- is widely renowned as one of the most promising midfield prospects in the game. He may not have fully established himself yet but it’s highly likely that he will and that we will make a huge profit on him.
Sinisterra- a proven PL-level winger. Had shown he had the ability to perform very well at this level during his time at Leeds. It can’t be understated how difficult it is for a club of our stature to recruit players who are proven in the PL. The one qualm is that he doesn’t seem to fit Iraola’s system so I can understand why some may view this one as more than a miss. Myself I also struggle a bit to understand why we paid 20m for a player who isn’t really a viable starting option under the current manager, regardless of how talented he is.
Traore- easy to forget that Traore has only made around 10 appearances in the league for us. He has some bright moments under O’Neil but never really had a chance to get going. He is definitely a miss but more a victim of circumstance rather than poor recruitment, he’s clearly not a bad player but he just doesn’t fit into the new manager’s very unique way of playing. Had we stuck with O’Neil I think he’d be starting most weeks.
It’s unfair to say that Hughes is anything other than good at his job if you look at the underlying circumstances and facts behind all his signings. – To join the conversation, click here.
