After months of speculation, it has now been officially confirmed that AFC Bournemouth first-team technical director Richard Hughes will be leaving the Cherries at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Links with his departure began in November and the former Scotland international has been linked with some of the top jobs across Europe, including Premier League title contenders Liverpool, European giants Roma and a reunion with former team-mate Eddie Howe at Newcastle United.
Hughes was previously linked with a reunion with Eddie Howe when the duo were reportedly interested in taking roles at Celtic, prior to Howe getting the job at Newcastle and it has been reported that Hughes already has his next role secured ahead of his departure from Dean Court according to football journalist Ben Jacobs.
It's understood Hughes, who has been linked with Liverpool and jobs in Italy, already knows his next role. Bournemouth have known since November he was leaving.🍒 https://t.co/dEm3kb0QA6
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) March 5, 2024
Newcastle United are in the market for a new sporting director after Dan Ashworth was placed on gardening leave following heavy speculation that he was making the move to Manchester United.
Newcastle could appoint Steve Nickson to the role if they were looking for an internal candidate, whilst Eddie Howe’s nephew Andy Howe, who previously worked at AFC Bournemouth has been promoted to assistant head of first-team recruitment.
Whilst various reports would suggest that Newcastle United is a likely destination for Hughes, the Newcastle Chronicle have “played down” the links suggesting Liverpool and Roma are more likely.
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.
These include Nathan Ake, Aaron Ramsdale, Jefferson Lerma, Dominic Solanke and Tyler Adams.
Has Bournemouth's recruitment been good enough recently?
Yes
No
Still need time to know
Following the announcement of his departure Hughes told afcb.co.uk…
“Working for AFC Bournemouth has always been a source of great joy and pride for me. Initially representing the club as a player and then subsequently in a football leadership role, I count every moment I’ve spent here as a blessing.
“As technical director, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented and dedicated individuals the game can offer. It’s been ten challenging, enjoyable and rewarding years in this post.
“The journey we have been on, as a club, is nothing short of remarkable. Where we are currently, on and off the pitch, assures me the future is bright…”
“…I look forward to the day I return as a supporter in the company of my wife and our five children who are the biggest of Cherries fans, but before then an important end to this season awaits and I am looking forward to a strong finish. Up the Cherries.”
AFC Bournemouth owner and chairman Bill Foley said…
“I’m very grateful for Richard’s outstanding service to this football club. His contribution in helping to deliver competitive teams for us over the years is no better highlighted than by our status as a Premier League club for seven of the last nine seasons. I wish him the very best for the future.”
Your say…
thegazzyb said…
Whatever the wrongs and rights of all dealings he has been involved with, overall it was enough to give us our period of greatest success which has been sustained for a fairly long time now.
It remains to be seen if any “new arrangement” delivers better results.
If we are trying to be more professional with our recruitment, there is no guarantee that the changes we attempt to make will prove successful. It’s a mammoth task but one which Bill probably thinks we need to go through in order to compete today and be more profitable in the future.
I thank Hughes for sticking with us for so long and helping us sustain our competitiveness in the top two divisions.
Good luck to him in the future too.
And now to hope that the replacement arrangement turns out to be, in some way, better than what we’ve had for so long ! – To join the conversation, click here.
