Liverpool have confirmed Richard Hughes will become the club’s new sporting director at the end of the season.
Hughes will move to Anfield from Bournemouth, with whom he held the post of technical director for 10 years, helping establish the club in the Premier League.
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The 44-year-old will work under Michael Edwards, a former sporting director at Liverpool who was recently appointed as chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group – the American company that owns the Merseyside club.
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.
“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.”
We can confirm the appointment of Richard Hughes as the club’s new sporting director, a post he will take up at the end of the 2023-24 season.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 20, 2024
One of Hughes’ priorities when he assumes the role on June 1 will be finding a suitable successor to Klopp when he leaves the club at the end of the season.
Klopp’s are big shoes to fill but Edward is confident Hughes will provide the expertise to find the right man.
He said: “I’m delighted Richard has agreed to join us in this vitally important position.
“I’ve known him for half of my life in a professional and personal capacity and he is absolutely someone who embodies the best values of Liverpool FC. I trust him completely.
“He has outstanding judgement and a track record of making smart decisions which benefit the organisations he represents.
“Both Richard and I are aware of the weight of responsibility that comes with working in this capacity for a club such as this. The fact he is excited and energised by the challenge ahead is important.
“It is clear to everyone that Jürgen will leave a legacy to build upon and in Richard we have the right person to make the key decisions and offer the leadership to take us forward into a bright future.
“As one very successful chapter will come to a close for Liverpool in the summer, the objective of everyone here is for another one to begin – and with Richard I am confident we have the right person in position for us to achieve this aim.”
