- Al-Hilal keen on appointing Richard Hughes
- Summer exit unlikely but no guarantee of long-term future
- Michael Edwards close to leaving
Richard Hughes future at Liverpool is in the balance, but a summer exit is very much ruled out. The Reds sporting director is a target for Al-Hilal, who are looking to lure him to Saudi Arabia.
The Reds recruitment chief, who only arrived on Merseyside last year, is said to be at the centre of an ambitious move by the Saudi Pro League champions to bolster their boardroom.
While Al-Hilal have already established a direct line to Anfield following their raid for Darwin Nuñez last summer, they now have their sights set on the man tasked with leading Liverpool’s new era.
While the move suggests Hughes future could eventually lie away from the Premier League, club sources have moved quickly to clarify that a summer exit is not on the cards.
According to a report in The Times, Hughes and Michael Edwards, the chief executive of football for Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have just over a year left on their contract. Talks over a new deal have not yet begun, raising questions over their future at Anfield.
Paul Joyce reports that Hughes is a target for Al-Hilal, who signed Darwin Nunez from the Merseyside club last summer.
The Saudi Pro League side are looking to hire a sporting director to bolster the club this summer, and see the former AFC Bournemouth player as an ideal fit.
Liverpool are undecided on the future of the 46-year-old, but reports suggest that FSG do not have any plans to part ways soon.
Liverpool want Hughes to stay despite agreeing terms with Al-Hilal
Journalist Graeme Bailey spoke about Al-Hilal’s interest in Hughest earlier this season, saying that the Saudi side were doing everything possible to lure him. He added that FSG are still confident about the sporting director, who has reportedly agreed terms with the Saudi Pro League club, and want him to stay.
He told TEAMtalk that the reports of Hughes agreeing terms with Al-Hilal were also not true.
“Hughes is widely considered to have managed a very tough summer very well last time around, smashing clubs records to land the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. We understand that FSG are fully behind [CEO Michael] Edwards and Hughes, and have no qualms that he remains one of the very best. Sources indicate that it would not be a shock if someone was interested in Hughes, but they insist no talks have taken place.”
Meanwhile, reports in March said that Edwards was likely to leave as FSG have abandoned their plans to buy a second football club. They were interested in Bordeaux, Malaga, AS Monaco, and Getafe, but could not find an agreement.
Richard Hughes backs Liverpool’s transfer policies
Speaking to The Reds Roundtable, Hughes said earlier this year that the players they signed were all top players and they believe in the squad. He is confident that the results will follow after a subpar season and said:
“You want to be there to support them and not suffocate them with it, let them find their own feet. All these players are here for a very good reason, they are top players. Everybody has played their part in getting them to the club and we were all very happy with what we did in the summer, not just me.”
“Whether they are good, bad or indifferent in terms of signings, there’s no proprietary felt in my position, it’s a collective effort that helps these boys translate their form for which they have been brought to the club and be the best version of themselves. As long as the players are the right ones in the first place, and we are absolutely convinced every time we bring someone in that they are, then the performances on the pitch will quickly follow.”
Hughes also went on to back Slot, saying that the Dutchman was the ideal coach to take them back to the top.
Despite the swirling noise from the Middle East, the message from the corridors of power at Anfield remains one of stability.
FSG are understood to be delighted with the work undertaken by Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards since their return to the fold, particularly following a transformative summer that saw marquee arrivals like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak arrive on Merseyside.
While the “agreement” with Al-Hilal has been dismissed by those close to the club, the interest serves as a reminder of the high esteem in which Hughes is held across world football.
Having successfully navigated the post-Klopp transition and provided Arne Slot with a squad he believes can return to the summit, Hughes focus appears firmly fixed on the long-term vision at Anfield rather than the riches of the Saudi Pro League.
With just over a year remaining on his current deal, the conversation will eventually turn to the boardroom’s long-term future.
However, for now, the priority remains clear: supporting Slot, backing the recruitment policy, and ensuring that the “subpar” results of the past season become a distant memory.
Liverpool fans will be hoping that the “collective effort” Hughes speaks so highly of continues to bear fruit on the pitch with the sporting director staying exactly where he is to oversee it.
