Liverpool look for new sporting director after Richard Hughes formally leaves
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Liverpool have confirmed that Richard Hughes has formally stepped down as sporting director, making him the fourth person to leave the role in four years, with FSG president Mike Gordon now leading the search for a successor. Hughes's exit had long been expected: he told the club of his intention to leave earlier this year following the departure of his friend Michael Edwards as chief executive of football for owners Fenway Sports Group, and he is now in line to take up a similar position at Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
Hughes, 47, agreed to remain in post through the summer transfer window given his close working relationship with new head coach Andoni Iraola and ongoing business, including the £123m signing of Bradley Barcola. Liverpool say no formal approach was received from Al-Hilal for him to start work there this summer and are satisfied he worked solely for them throughout. Any new sporting director will follow Edwards, Julian Ward, Jörg Schmadtke and Hughes into the role, while the rest of the football structure stays intact, including Ward as FSG technical director, Pedro Marques as director of football development, assistant sporting director David Woodfine and chief scout Barry Hunter.
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In short
- Richard Hughes has formally left as Liverpool's sporting director
- He is expected to join Saudi club Al-Hilal next
- FSG's Mike Gordon is now leading the search for his replacement
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Liverpool have confirmed that Richard Hughes has formally stepped down as sporting director, making him the club's fourth departure from the role in four years, with FSG president Mike Gordon now leading the search for a successor.
- 2 months ago Liverpool are searching for their fourth sporting director in four years after confirming that Richard Hughes has formally stepped down from the role.
- 2 months ago Liverpool have confirmed that Richard Hughes has formally stepped down as sporting director, making him the fourth person to leave the role in four years, with FSG president Mike Gordon now leading the search for a successor.
Full account
Liverpool have confirmed that Richard Hughes has left his post as sporting director, with the 47-year-old expected to take up a similar position at the Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. His departure had been anticipated for some time and comes amid a wider reshaping of the club's football operations following the summer exit of Michael Edwards, who had been serving as Fenway Sports Group's chief executive of football.
Hughes is understood to have told Liverpool of his wish to move on earlier in the year, but with transfer business still to be completed and a strong rapport established with new head coach Andoni Iraola, he agreed to remain in post until the summer window closed. The club has said it received no approach from Al-Hilal to bring Hughes in early and is satisfied he remained fully committed to Liverpool throughout. During his final months he helped oversee a heavy summer outlay that included the £123m arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris St-Germain, part of spending reported to total in the region of £200m.
Hughes joined Liverpool in June 2024 from Bournemouth, arriving in the aftermath of Jürgen Klopp's departure, and played a central role in bringing in Arne Slot, under whom the club won a 20th English top-flight title in his debut season. Hughes later sanctioned two club-record deals, for Alexander Isak (£125m) and Florian Wirtz (£116m), though Liverpool's form fell away sharply, finishing fifth the following season. That slump led to Slot's exit and the hiring of Iraola, a manager Hughes had previously worked alongside at Bournemouth — a decision that will likely shape how his time at Anfield is ultimately judged.
Attention now turns to finding a successor, a search being driven by FSG president Mike Gordon, who took back day-to-day oversight of the club once Edwards moved on. Whoever is appointed will become the latest in a rapid succession of sporting directors since Edwards first left the role in 2022, following Julian Ward — now a technical director within FSG — and Jörg Schmadtke. Liverpool have stressed that the rest of the football department remains unchanged, including Ward, director of football development Pedro Marques, assistant sporting director David Woodfine and chief scout Barry Hunter, with the appointment coming against a backdrop of broader upheaval at the club that has also seen FSG sell a minority stake to a consortium led by Amit Bhatia and including Jeff Bezos.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The two accounts disagree on how many sporting directors this amounts to: one frames Hughes as Liverpool's fourth in four years, while the other describes the incoming appointee as the fifth since Edwards left in 2022.
One report focuses on Liverpool's internal process — Gordon leading the search, the club's insistence no illicit approach was made by Al-Hilal, and the continuity of named backroom staff (Ward, Marques, Woodfine, Hunter).
The other includes direct quotes from Hughes's farewell statement and from Mike Gordon, plus more detail on Hughes's contract (said to run to June 2027) and on Al-Hilal's own summer spending, including the signings of Gabriel Martinelli, Ollie Watkins and Cyrenscio Summerville.
Only one source links Hughes's exit explicitly to the recent sale of a minority stake in Liverpool to Amit Bhatia's 1892 Holdings consortium, which includes Jeff Bezos, as part of a wider narrative of upheaval at the club.
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Only here: look, richard, formally, leaves
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Explained simply
Liverpool's sporting director oversees transfers, contracts and the club's overall football strategy, working alongside the head coach and the ownership group, Fenway Sports Group (FSG). The role has proved a difficult one to fill: since Michael Edwards left it in 2022, three different people have held the job, each departing within a year or two.
Richard Hughes, 47, took over in 2023 and has now left himself, following Edwards's more recent exit from a related senior role at FSG. He is expected to move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, though he stayed on at Liverpool through the summer transfer window to help manage incoming deals and support new head coach Andoni Iraola.
FSG president Mike Gordon is now leading the search for a fourth successor in four years, a turnover that has drawn attention to the stability of Liverpool's football operations even as the rest of the club's backroom staff remain in place.
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