Liverpool search for fifth sporting director since 2022 after Hughes exit

Liverpool are looking for a new sporting director for the fifth time since 2022 after Richard Hughes' move to Al-Hilal was confirmed. Hughes arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2024 and informed the club earlier this year that he wanted a new challenge in Saudi Arabia. Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is overseeing the search and Liverpool want to make a swift appointment.

• Richard Hughes leaves Liverpool for Al-Hilal a year earlier than expected.
• Mike Gordon is running Liverpool's fifth sporting director search since 2022.
• David Woodfine, Julian Ward and Pedro Marques lead the internal candidates.
• The new director must decide on Alisson and Virgil van Dijk's futures.
• Luis Campos would be the biggest external hire but is unlikely to leave PSG.

The candidates to lead Liverpool's football project

Liverpool are considering internal options and have not ruled out bringing in someone from outside the club. David Woodfine, who worked as Hughes' assistant and previously served as the club's director of loans, is one of the leading names. Woodfine was pictured showing Andoni Iraola around the AXA Training Centre when the head coach arrived in June.

Julian Ward is another contender. He was Liverpool's sporting director between 2022 and 2023 and oversaw the signings of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. Ward currently works as FSG's technical director. Pedro Marques, the group's director of football development, completes the internal shortlist. His background as technical director at Benfica, where he helped sign Enzo Fernandez for £10m, and his earlier role as a first-team performance analyst at Manchester City give him a strong profile.

Outside Anfield, Luis Campos of Paris Saint-Germain would be the most eye-catching appointment. But the Portuguese is unlikely to consider his immediate future away from the European champions, which makes a move to Merseyside difficult.

Alisson and Van Dijk: contract calls at the top of the agenda

Goalkeeper and centre-back decisions will be among the most pressing. Alisson Becker's contract expires at the end of the season. Despite Juventus showing interest in the Brazil international this summer, Liverpool had no intention of letting him leave. Iraola named him one of the vice-captains and the 33-year-old has started all three league games so far. He may not be at his peak, but he remains comfortably the club's best goalkeeper.

The alternatives are not fully convincing. Giorgi Mamardashvili has not entirely settled, while 18-year-old Lucca Brughmans will join from Genk next summer in a deal worth up to £30m but is unlikely to be considered an immediate first choice. The new sporting director will have to decide whether to keep Alisson at Anfield for another season.

Virgil van Dijk's situation is similar. The captain is out of contract next summer and keeping him looks essential after Liverpool lost Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson at the end of last season. The 35-year-old has played every minute of the league campaign so far and, although he may not be the force he once was, he remains one of Europe's best centre-backs. Young defenders such as Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye could learn a great deal from him.

Midfield depth and Mac Allister's long-term future

Iraola believes Liverpool have solid numbers in midfield despite not strengthening that area after Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan. Teenager Trey Nyoni has been backed to feature more this season and stood out on the pre-season tour of the United States. But much will be asked of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Mac Allister as the schedule intensifies, and an injury to any of them could prove costly.

Liverpool have looked at Monaco's Lamine Camara but were not open to signing a midfielder this summer. That position could become a priority in January or next summer, particularly if there is no progress on a new deal for Mac Allister, whose contract runs until 2028. There are currently no talks over an extension for the Argentine, another matter for Hughes' successor to pick up.

The attack: Liverpool's best-stocked department

There is far less concern up front. During Hughes' time at the club, Liverpool signed Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola. With 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha expected to agree a long-term deal, Liverpool appear well covered in attack.

Liverpool ultimately decided not to sell Cody Gakpo to Manchester City this summer. The Netherlands forward already has one goal and three assists this season. If the club were able to sign a new winger and received another lucrative bid for Gakpo, that is a scenario they could revisit.

A summer of structural change at Liverpool

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan spoke this summer about the club's stability: "I would send a message that we are in a very healthy place as a football club - the leadership from the ownership is in a very steady place and we're looking forward to the next season and the season ahead." That message contrasts with a turbulent period in which Liverpool changed managers, welcomed new investors, lost senior players and saw their sporting director depart early.

Michael Edwards, the man who appointed Hughes, also resigned as FSG's CEO of Football. His departure influenced Hughes, who was integral to the decision to sack Arne Slot and bring in Iraola. The new sporting director will have a major say in the Spaniard's future. When Iraola joined, he said he signed a two-year deal because he did not want to stay somewhere simply because he had a contract. His relationship with Hughes, built at Bournemouth, helped him land the Liverpool job. Now someone else will have to work alongside Iraola as Liverpool look to challenge again.