Richard Hughes departs Liverpool after overseeing £670m transfer spend in two years

Richard Hughes has stepped down as Liverpool’s sporting director after two years at Anfield, during which he appointed two managers and the club spent approximately £670m on transfers. His departure follows that of Michael Edwards, FSG’s CEO of Football, deepening the boardroom upheaval on Merseyside.

Hughes had informed Liverpool earlier in the year that he wished to leave, but agreed to remain in post until the close of the transfer window. His final act was overseeing the £106m signing of Bradley Barcola — a deal Liverpool feared could have collapsed had Hughes departed sooner, given his close working relationship with head coach Andoni Iraola, whom he had previously hired at Bournemouth before bringing him to Merseyside.

The Scot joined Liverpool in 2024 from Bournemouth and was the driving force behind the appointment of Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp’s successor. Slot delivered the Premier League title in his debut season, but Hughes took the decision to sack him a year later after Liverpool finished fifth, replacing him with Iraola.

Hughes oversaw the most expensive period of spending in the club’s history. The summer 2025 window alone cost around £450m, with Florian Wirtz becoming Liverpool’s first £100m signing and Alexander Isak arriving for a British-record £125m. Barcola’s arrival this week brought the total outlay across Hughes’ tenure to roughly £670m.

Hughes is expected to join Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, where he is likely to reunite with former Bournemouth colleague Simon Francis. Liverpool are confident he had not been working for the Saudi club prior to his departure.

FSG president Mike Gordon is leading the search for Hughes’ successor. In the interim, Liverpool believe his responsibilities can be shared among senior figures including FSG technical director Julian Ward, director of football development Pedro Marques, assistant sporting director David Woodfine, chief scout Barry Hunter, and Iraola himself.