Liverpool have confirmed the departure of sporting director Richard Hughes. The club chief was contracted until June 2027 but has decided to leave after just two years following a difficult summer.
Hughes' time at Anfield
Hughes arrived from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024 and oversaw the hiring of Arne Slot as manager after Jurgen Klopp stepped down. He was behind the big-money transfers of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz last summer, as well as the £123million signing of Bradley Barcola this summer.
He has decided to leave shortly after the departure of Michael Edwards from Fenway Sports Group and following a difficult summer which saw Liverpool struggle to bring in new players for Andoni Iraola.
Hughes statement
Hughes said: “First and foremost, I would like to reiterate what I said upon my arrival – it has been a source of great pride to have been given the opportunity to serve this incredible and unique institution. That is something I will always be grateful for.
“My appreciation extends to ownership for their support and leadership, to club staff at all levels who give so much to make Liverpool FC what it is, to the players who make such an enormous contribution and to the fans who support the team in great numbers whenever and wherever games take place.
“I’ll always follow and support the club with great affection, and I wish everyone involved nothing but success for this season and beyond.”
Move to Saudi Arabia
He will team up with Simon Francis - the man who replaced him at Bournemouth two years ago - in Saudi Arabia. Francis left the Cherries at the end of the season and has been overseeing Al-Hilal's transfer activity this summer, including the recent £60million signing of Gabriel Martinelli from Arsenal.
Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon said: “Richard joined us at the start of a period of change, embracing that responsibility by leading our football operations department and overseeing recruitment while also providing valuable support to our coaching staff.
“The results we achieved in these areas during this period are testament to this contribution. Nevertheless, we respect Richard’s life choices and wish him and his family well in their next venture.”
