With around two months of the season remaining, Liverpool are still on the hunt for two key appointments.
As the Reds continue to battle on four fronts, there’s obviously plenty to play for this campaign. But before we know it, summer will be upon us and Liverpool will have a vacancy in both the manager and sporting director positions.
Naturally, plenty of rumours have been filtering through about who could take up either role. In terms of sporting director, there has been lots of noise surrounding a return for former incumbent Michael Edwards. With Edwards so far rejecting Liverpool’s advances though, the role remains open.
And according to The Daily Mail, if the Reds can’t get their former man to come back, then they’re looking for the next best thing. Although Edwards is still said to be Liverpool’s preferred choice, the 44-year-old is said to be ‘reluctant’ to sign back on.
As a result, they are reportedly targeting Bournemouth sporting director Richard Hughes. Interestingly, Hughes is claimed to be ‘close’ to Edwards, with the celebrated transfer guru said to be a known fan of the Cherries’ top man.
From Bournemouth’s point of view, they are reportedly now ‘resigned’ to Hughes leaving over the summer. With Roma also said to be interested though, the Premier League side are claimed to prefer him to head abroad rather than stay in England.
Liverpool targeting Hughes
This would be an interesting appointment from Liverpool. Hughes is clearly a wily operator who is adept at getting value for money in the market.
Although they have a much bigger budget than Bournemouth, you can see why this would appeal to Reds owners FSG.
Plus, if Hughes already comes with a glowing assessment from none other than Edwards himself, then he must be good.
It’s obvious that FSG haven’t really moved on from losing Edwards. Although the club have so far coped well in his 18-month absence, they’d blatantly love to have him back.
As they prepare to lose Jurgen Klopp, Edwards’ return would really help to soften the blow.
However, from our point of view, it’s often better not to come back to a club for a second time. Things rarely go as well or better during a return stint.
It’s also arguable that a large reason why Edwards’ transfers worked so well is because of Klopp.
The data king may have been superb at identifying the right players, but the manager was the absolute best at getting the most out of them. With a new head coach set to come in, that symbiosis is unlikely to be the same.
Consequently, we’re all for Liverpool hiring a type of ‘Edwards lite.’ If FSG think Hughes is the man to fill those shoes, then who are we to argue. Let’s get the ball rolling though, because time is a ticking.