Richard Hughes departs Liverpool as club launches search for new sporting director

More empty chairs at the Anfield offices. Richard Hughes has stepped down as Liverpool's sporting director, and the club confirmed that very Saturday that the search for his replacement is already underway. This isn't an isolated case: in less than two months, Liverpool has seen two of its top football decision makers walk out the door.

Hughes joined the club in 2024 to take charge of football operations right as Jurgen Klopp was stepping away from the touchline after a historic run. It was Hughes who led the process that brought in Arne Slot as head coach, a call that paid off immediately: Liverpool won the Premier League title in Slot's first season in charge.

But football shows no mercy, and what followed was a harsh dose of reality. The next campaign, despite roughly $500 million spent on new signings, fell well short of the club's standards. Slot took the fall and was let go at the end of the season, making way for Andoni Iraola as the new manager. Now, with Iraola already settled in the dugout, it's Hughes who is closing out his own chapter at the club.

Reports indicate Hughes is bound for Al-Hilal, the powerful Saudi club that has become a magnet in recent years for figures across European football, both on the pitch and in the front office. Liverpool itself said Hughes is leaving because he wanted to "seek a new challenge," a departure that comes just weeks after Michael Edwards stepped down as CEO of football for Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the club's owner, this past July.

Edwards' exit is no small detail given his history with the club. During his first spell at Liverpool, he was a key figure behind signings that defined a golden era, with names like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk arriving at pivotal moments. That period ended with a Premier League title and a Champions League crown under Klopp.

Words of thanks from the board

FSG president Mike Gordon publicly bid farewell to Hughes with a message acknowledging the circumstances under which he took the job.

"Richard joined us at the start of a period of change, taking on the responsibility of leading our football operations department and overseeing recruitment, while also providing valuable support to our coaching staff. The results we've achieved in these areas during this period are proof of his contribution. Regardless, we respect Richard's life decisions and wish him and his family all the best in his next adventure,"Mike Gordon

With two major departures in such a short span, Liverpool now faces the task of reshaping its leadership structure while Iraola tries to establish his own project on the touchline. The search for a new sporting director is already underway, the club confirmed.