Richard Hughes has moved to Al-Hilal, and Liverpool are now looking for a new sporting director for the fifth time since 2022.
Hughes joined Liverpool in the summer of 2024 and oversaw the appointments of Arne Slot and then Andoni Iraola. He told the club earlier this year that he wanted a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.
Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is leading the search for Hughes' replacement. Liverpool want to make a quick appointment.
Liverpool will consider internal candidates but have not ruled out an external appointment. They want someone committed for the long term.
So who are the candidates, and what challenges will they face?
David Woodfine, Hughes' assistant and previously Liverpool's director of loans, is one option. Woodfine was pictured showing Iraola around the AXA Training Centre when Iraola arrived in June.
Julian Ward is another candidate. He was Liverpool's sporting director from 2022 to 2023, overseeing the signings of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. He now works as FSG's technical director.
Pedro Marques, FSG's director of football development, previously served as technical director at Benfica, where he helped sign Enzo Fernandez for £10m. Before that he was a first-team performance analyst at Manchester City.
Outside Anfield, Luis Campos of Paris St-Germain would be the strongest appointment, but he is unlikely to leave the European champions in the near future.
Whoever replaces Hughes will have plenty to address. Hughes has also taken two Liverpool recruitment staff, Mark Burchill and Craig McKee, to the Middle East.
Alisson's contract expires at the end of the season. Juventus were interested in the Brazil goalkeeper this summer, but Liverpool had no intention of letting him go.
Iraola made Alisson one of his vice-captains, and the 33-year-old has started all three league games so far. He remains comfortably their best goalkeeper, even if he is not at his peak.
Liverpool have plenty of options. Giorgi Mamardashvili has not fully convinced so far, and 18-year-old Lucca Brughmans will arrive next summer from Genk in a deal worth up to £30m, but he is unlikely to be an immediate first choice.
Alisson has been one of Liverpool's best players during a period that brought two Premier League titles and a Champions League. The new sporting director will have to decide whether to try to keep him at Anfield next season.
The same applies to captain Virgil van Dijk, whose contract runs out next summer. Liverpool lost senior figures Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson at the end of last season, so they need experience. Losing both Alisson and Van Dijk in the same close season would be risky.
After an extended break following the World Cup, the 35-year-old has played every minute of Liverpool's league campaign so far. He may not be the force he once was, but he remains one of Europe's best centre-backs.
Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye have huge potential. The new sporting director may see Van Dijk as the perfect mentor for them.
Iraola believes Liverpool have "good numbers" in midfield, even though they did not strengthen that position over the summer after Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan.
Trey Nyoni is expected to feature more this season. The 19-year-old was one of the standouts of Liverpool's pre-season tour of the USA.
With a busy fixture list ahead, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Mac Allister will be asked to do a lot. An injury to any of them could be a major problem.
Source: www.bbc.com — Read the original article
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