Richard Hughes will not officially start work as Liverpool’s new sporting director until the end of the season after the Reds appointed the 44-year-old on Wednesday afternoon

Liverpool have appointed Richard Hughes as their new sporting director to help lead the search for Jurgen Klopp’s successor once the German leaves at the end of the season.

Hughes has made the switch from fellow Premier League side Bournemouth, where he has been part of the recruitment system since 2014 after retiring from professional football.

The Cherries confirmed earlier this month that Hughes will depart the south coast club in the summer.

He will follow Michael Edwards, who recently returned as chief executive of football for owners Fenway Sports Group, to the Reds. Liverpool have been without a sporting director since the departure of Jorg Schmadtke, who was a short-term solution to replace Julian Ward, earlier this year.

Hughes will now have the unenviable task to set Liverpool up with a new manager after Klopp confirmed in January that he will be stepping down at the end of the campaign. With that in mind, Mirror Football have taken a look at Hughes, his career and what he could bring to Anfield.

Who is Hughes?
As a player, Hughes, who started his senior career at Bournemouth, most notably enjoyed a fruitful spell at Portsmouth where he established himself as a regular Premier League campaigner.

He made 114 top-flight appearances across six-and-a-half seasons at Fratton Park, and also played a handful of Championship matches before initially hanging up his boots in 2011.

However, Hughes was convinced to come out of retirement and return to Bournemouth following the appointment of Paul Groves as the club’s new manager. He ended up playing for two more years before retiring at the age of 34 and moving into the recruitment team under Eddie Howe.

Richard Hughes in action for Bournemouth in 2013 (
Image:
Getty Images)
After impressing in his role, Hughes was promoted to technical director during the Cherries’ stay in the Premier League. He played a huge part in their sustained success, with Bournemouth maintaining their top-flight status for five successive campaigns before relegation to the Championship in 2019/20.

Promoted Stories
Bournemouth returned to the Premier League ahead of the 2022/23 season and are looking like having at least another crack at the top-flight next term. Andoni Iraola’s side currently sit 13th, 14 points clear of the drop zone and have put together an impressive, young squad under Hughes and co.

His role at Liverpool
As well as finding a successor for Klopp, Hughes will look to open contract talks with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk among others. All three deals run out at the end of next season and Liverpool will not want to lose either of them for free.

Hughes and Edwards do not officially start work until after the season but are both expected to be influential in the club’s process to look ahead to the future. Edwards, for example, was at Old Trafford on Sunday sat with other Liverpool chiefs as the Reds crashed out of the FA Cup.

Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace Klopp at the end of the season, while Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter have also been linked. Hughes will have to hit the ground running as he is required to set the team up with the new manager, whoever that may be.

What he’s said
Upon his appointment, Hughes told the club’s official website: “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.

Hughes will begin his role at Anfield on June 1 (
Image:
AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
“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.”