Richard Hughes has stepped down from his position as sporting director of Liverpool FC with immediate effect, and will assume a new position at Al Hilal FC, competing in the Saudi Professional League.
Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool, will be tasked with leading the search for a new sporting director, who will be the club's fifth since 2022.
Hughes spent a little more than two years at Anfield after his arrival from Bournemouth, and during that period he supervised the post-Jurgen Klopp era.
His tenure was characterized by successes, significant spending, and a host of challenges. He was responsible for appointing Dutchman Arne Sloat in the summer of 2024, before the coach led Liverpool to only their second Premier League title during his first season.
Sloat was sacked in May after a decline in results and the team finished the season in fifth place, to be replaced by Spaniard Andoni Iraola, whom Hughes had played a role in bringing to English football when he was working at Bournemouth.
Liverpool spent about 670 million pounds in the transfer market during Hughes' tenure at the club, and confirmation of his departure comes less than 24 hours after a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on Friday, in a match during which striker Alexander Isak, who joined for 125 million pounds, scored both goals of the match.
Isaac raised his tally to three goals in the league this season, equaling his tally in his first season, during which he suffered from injuries.
Hughes, 47 years old, informed Fenway Sports Group of his desire to leave during the current year, and Michael Edwards' departure from his position as CEO of football in the group was a major factor in his decision.
Edwards was responsible for attracting Hughes, but he informed Liverpool's owners last fall that he would leave at the end of the 2025-26 season, after becoming frustrated, in part, with the group's reluctance to adopt a multi-club ownership system.
Liverpool confirms that Hughes worked solely for the club during the transfer period.
Al Hilal had appointed Simon Francis, who previously worked at Bournemouth and had a close friendship with Hughes, as technical director in July.
Since then, Francis has implemented a transfer strategy that has included the signings of Ollie Watkins, Gabriel Martinelli and Crescencio Summerville.
The imminent departure of Hughes has become one of the most open secrets in football, and his transfer, along with the departure of Edwards, adds to the sense of a turning point at the top of the club's management hierarchy.
This comes at a time when the Fenway Sports Group sold a 38 percent stake in Liverpool to Amit Bhatia's 1892 Holdings company.
The investment alliance includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. It also has an option to buy Liverpool entirely, which can be activated within 12 months, depending on Fenway Sports Group’s desire to continue controlling the club.
The position of sporting director at Liverpool has witnessed frequent changes in recent years. Edwards held it before his departure in 2022, then he was succeeded by Julian Ward, who lasted 12 months, before Jorg Schmadtke took over the job temporarily, and then Hughes came.
Although Liverpool desires to complete the process of appointing a successor to Hughes as quickly as possible, the club has a football operations department capable of developing and implementing strategy in the short, medium and long term.
David Woodfine was Hughes's right-hand man as assistant sporting director, while Ward returned to the Fenway Sports Group system in 2024 as technical director, and Pedro Marquez holds the position of director of football development in the group, along with chief scout Barry Hunter, who was one of the few constant elements during Liverpool's successful years.
Frenchman Christophe Galtier, coach of the NEOM team, confirmed that facing Al Hilal represents a major test of his team’s character, stressing that the differences between the two teams do not mean entering the match with a mentality of fear, but rather looking to provide the best possible performance and playing for victory.
Galtier said, during the press conference before facing Al Hilal: “Al Hilal is one of the best teams in Saudi Arabia and the continent of Asia, and it has 5 victories and 17 goals, and it has also strengthened its ranks with players from the English Premier League. We must respect him, but not fear him. This match represents a great motivation for us to give everything we have, and we must go to Riyadh with a victory mentality despite the differences between the two teams.”
NEOM's coach stressed the importance of defensive organization against Al Hilal's offensive force, in addition to the necessity of proper handling of the ball when leaving the team's areas, explaining that such confrontations reveal the extent of the development of the team's personality.
He added: “It is necessary to make a great defensive effort to confront Al Hilal’s attack, as well as to get the ball out of our areas in a safe manner. When you face big teams, the match is a reflection of your team’s personality.”
Galtier revealed the continued absence of Saeed Benrahma, Abdulaziz Al-Othman and the Greek Masouras, noting that the technical staff has an additional 48 hours to determine the readiness of some elements, in light of the team’s lack of a number of players on the offensive side.
In his response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the readiness of Argentine Valentin Vada, Galtier explained that the player is physically ready, but he has not joined his team’s camp since the beginning of the season, which makes the decision on his participation as a starter or reserve postponed to the next two days.
He said: “On the physical level, Fada is ready, but he has not joined his team’s camp since the beginning of the season, and his participation as a main component or substitute will be determined within the next two days.”
The French coach pointed out that confronting Al Hilal requires high experience, at a time when NEOM includes a number of young players, stressing that his team’s philosophy is based on being courageous when possessing the ball and not being satisfied with defense.
Galtier said: “The match requires a lot of experience, and we have young players. Our team’s idea is to be courageous when receiving the ball, and to attack Al Hilal’s defensive areas.”
NEOM hopes to present a different image against Al Hilal, taking advantage of the big confrontation to test its ability to compete against one of the most prominent teams in the league, in a match that Galtier realizes is difficult, but refuses to let his team enter it, surrendering to the technical differences between the two sides.
