Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes’ potential move from Anfield to Saudi Arabia has been talked up by former Everton CEO Keith Wyness.
Hughes arrived at Liverpool from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024, and has overseen the signings of the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, among others.
The former Portsmouth defender has been linked with a switch to the Saudi Pro League at the end of the season, potentially seeing the financial merits of a move there.
Speaking to Football Insider, Wyness explained why he is such a sough-after figure and why he could seal a move there in the summer:
“Well, I’ve been monitoring Saudi football. I started going down there probably about 2012, so a long time ago, before the new regime was in place.
“And I remember when Saudi football, in 2017 when PIF came in and started buying the domestic clubs and creating the Saudi Premier League, there was a mad rush. ‘We’ve got to have Brazilians in charge, we’ve got to have Brazilian managers, we’ve got to get Brazilian players,’ because the Saudi concept was that Brazil was the best football place in the world.
“They didn’t really understand football. They just followed the trend. But they spent money, and they tried a lot of experiments. Gradually, their football intelligence and knowledge has progressed, and now they’re getting to understand the role of the strategic sports director like a Richard Hughes and the importance, and so they’ve gone for probably one of the best there is.
“Although you would argue that Liverpool’s performance this season has not been the best, there could be other reasons for that, but certainly he’s well respected within the game.”
Will Liverpool fans be sad to see Richard Hughes leave?
Hughes was a popular figure at Liverpool to begin with, not least because the Reds won the Premier League title in he and Arne Slot’s first season at the club.
A swell of negativity has grown this time around, however, with poor results and performances on the pitch and question marks over Liverpool’s recruitment.
Hughes may, therefore, not be hugely missed if he does depart in the summer, along with Slot, allowing a fresh era to dawn under a new manager and sporting director.
