Richard Hughes’ appointment at Liverpool has probably been one of the worst kept secrets in football over the last few weeks. Hughes has been in talks to become the club’s sporting director for some time and his move was finally finalised this week.
It’s a shrewd appointment for Liverpool. Hughes has an impressive pedigree, and a close bond with Michael Edwards. Their relationship stretches all the way back to their days at Portsmouth over 20 years ago.
Since then, they have always kept in touch and consulted with each other as they have progressed during their careers. Undoubtedly, this will be the pinnacle moment of Hughes’ career. He has done a great job at Bournemouth, but stepping up to Liverpool will be another matter.
Edwards though clearly believes Hughes has what it takes to make that leap. And for good reason as well. At Bournemouth, Hughes attracted a lot of talent and even rivalled Liverpool for some of Edwards’ signings in the past. Including for a 20-year-old player,who has been playing amazing football at Liverpool over the last few weeks in Harvey Elliott.
The three Liverpool players Richard Hughes tried to sign at Bournemouth
According to a report by The Times, during his time at Bournemouth, Richard Hughes identified several players who ended-up joining Liverpool as potential targets. That included Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, although they were never pursued.
However, there were three others in Andy Robertson while he was at Hull City, the aforementioned Harvey Elliott while he was playing at Fulham and Joe Gomez when he was at Charlton Athletic, who Hughes all wanted to sign for Bournemouth.
In the end, he couldn’t quite convince them to join, which is no surprise given Liverpool were interested in them as well. However, it does indicate Hughes’ eye for spotting talent and it’s another sign that he is definitely the right man for the job.
Meanwhile, for the aforementioned trio, the fact that Hughes is a fan of them could bode well for their futures. In Elliott and Gomez, Liverpool have two players who have really performed to a top standard this season. Both players are expected to be a long-term part of the club’s future. Robertson, on the other hand, has dipped in form, and it will be interesting to see what Hughes does now regarding a potential contract extension with the Scotsman’s current deal expiring in 2026.