Liverpool F.C. Sporting director Richard Hughes is departing the Premier League club for a new role in Saudi Arabia. The move to Al Hilal, which has been in the works for months, comes after a summer transfer window where Liverpool's spending topped £446 million but left the squad with significant gaps.
Hughes was the man who recruited Arne Slot as head coach after Jurgen Klopp's departure. Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail noted, "He was the man that recruited Slot himself, after all." Hughes also convinced high-profile signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to join the club, though both are still finding their best form. He oversaw a period of heavy investment, with Liverpool spending £693 million on first-team players since winning the Premier League title.
The club's net spend this summer was the biggest in the league, with one purchase coming within £2 million of the British transfer record. Yet the squad looks thin in key areas. Liverpool are lacking strength at full back and in central midfield. Jeremie Frimpong is the only fit right back, with Conor Bradley out since January with a serious knee injury. Kostas Tsimikas, the deputy left back, struggled for minutes on loan last season. In the centre of defence, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni are both injured, leaving 35-year-old Virgil van Dijk partnered by Jeremy Jacquet. The team has needed a deeper-lying midfielder since Fabinho's 2023 exit.
The squad issues are reflected in the early Premier League table. As of 03 September 2026, Liverpool sit 13th with 2 points from two draws. They have scored and conceded 4 goals, leaving them with a zero goal difference and already 4 points behind leaders Manchester City. Their next test is an away fixture against 12th-placed Ipswich on 04 September 2026.
Hughes' exit compounds a challenging period. The club had known for half a year that Mohamed Salah would leave but felt like they were panicking in the final ten days of the window. Several key players, including Van Dijk, Alisson, Gomez, Tsimikas, and Wataru Endo, have contracts expiring at the end of this season, pointing to a busy next summer. Hughes and Slot handled themselves with dignity following the tragic death of Diogo Jota in a car crash. The manager must now address the squad's imbalances with a new sporting director, while fans assess a window where big spending has not yet translated to a strong start. The immediate focus is the trip to Portman Road this week.
