Liverpool have launched a search for a new sporting director after confirming that Richard Hughes is leaving the club to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, marking the fifth change in the role since 2022.
Hughes arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2024 and played a key role in bringing in Arne Slot before overseeing his replacement with Andoni Iraola earlier this year. He informed the club months ago of his desire to pursue a fresh challenge in Saudi Arabia, and he has taken two members of Liverpool's recruitment staff, Mark Burchill and Craig McKee, with him to the Middle East.
Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is leading the process to find Hughes' successor. Liverpool are said to be eager to move quickly and will consider candidates both from within the club and externally, with a clear preference for someone willing to commit for the long term.
Among the internal options is David Woodfine, Hughes' former assistant and Liverpool's ex-director of loans, who was seen showing Iraola around the AXA Training Centre in June. Julian Ward, who held the sporting director post between 2022 and 2023 and helped bring in players such as Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez, is another possibility. He currently serves as FSG's technical director. Pedro Marques, FSG's director of football development and a former technical director at Benfica—where he was involved in the signing of Enzo Fernandez—is also under consideration. Outside the club, Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Campos is regarded as a standout name, though he is not expected to leave the European champions in the near future.
Whoever takes the job inherits several pressing issues. Goalkeeper Alisson, whose contract expires at the end of the season, remains a priority despite interest from Juventus this past summer. Iraola has made the 33-year-old one of his vice-captains, and he has started every league match so far this campaign. Liverpool's other goalkeeping options include Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has yet to fully impress, and 18-year-old Lucca Brughmans, arriving next summer from Genk for a fee that could reach £30m but unlikely to be first-choice immediately.
Captain Virgil van Dijk, also out of contract next summer, presents a similar dilemma. The 35-year-old has played every minute of the league season and remains one of Europe's top centre-backs. With Liverpool having already lost senior figures Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, letting both Van Dijk and Alisson depart in the same window would be a significant risk. Young defenders such as Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye could benefit from more time learning under Van Dijk.
In midfield, Iraola has expressed confidence in the club's current options despite no summer reinforcements following Curtis Jones' departure to Inter Milan. Trey Nyoni, 19, is expected to see more playing time after impressing during pre-season in the USA. Liverpool were linked with Monaco's Lamine Camara but were not prepared to make a midfield signing this summer. That could change if Alexis Mac Allister, whose deal runs until 2028, does not agree fresh terms—though no contract talks are currently underway.
Attack is viewed as an area of relative strength, following the arrivals of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola under Hughes' stewardship. Rio Ngumoha, 18, is expected to sign a long-term contract, further bolstering Liverpool's options. The club also opted against selling Cody Gakpo to Manchester City this summer; the Dutch forward has contributed one goal and three assists so far this season, though a strong offer combined with a new winger arriving could reopen that discussion.
Beyond squad matters, the new sporting director will need to build a working relationship with Iraola, who signed only a two-year deal upon arrival, stating he did not want to stay somewhere purely because of a contract. Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan sought to downplay concerns over instability this summer, telling BBC Sport: "I would send a message that we are in a very healthy place as a football club - the leadership from the ownership is in a very steady place and we're looking forward to the next season and the season ahead."
Still, it has been an eventful summer at Anfield, with a managerial change, new investors, the departure of senior players, and now the sporting director role vacant a year earlier than expected. Michael Edwards, who originally appointed Hughes, has also stepped down as FSG's CEO of Football. Hughes' exit is understood to have been influenced by Edwards' departure.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.