Richard Hughes has been scapegoated for Liverpool’s failures to sign the players that fans believe were needed for the season at hand, but The Athletic has attempted to plead his case.
Last season, Liverpool were plagued by a weak spine, poorly distributed profiles across the starting XI and were generally low-staffed for an intensive season that can reach upwards of 60 games.
Arne Slot dragged his team across the Champions League qualification finish line, meaning his successor, Andoni Iraola, will need to prepare Liverpool to face Atletico Madrid at Anfield in the Reds’ first European night under the lights at Anfield on Tuesday next week.
However, it’s hard to make a believable case for Liverpool being adequately prepared for the challenges ahead.
While Liverpool did eventually complete a deal to sign Bradley Barcola from PSG worth a reportedly guaranteed £106m with up to £17m in add-ons (£123m), it was FSG president Mike Gordon and new co-owner and vice chairman Amit Bhatia who completed the negotiations with PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi.
Bradley Barcola is a Red.
Allez Les Rouges. pic.twitter.com/Z8eQY71dgQ
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 31, 2026
The Athletic, however, reports that Liverpool and FSG are well pleased with Richard Hughes, who will now take his leave from the club a full year before his contract expires.
James Pearce reports in his end-of-summer review: “Sporting director Richard Hughes, whose contract expires next summer, is also set to move on now the window has shut, having been pursued by Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal. But with FSG president Mike Gordon resuming oversight of Liverpool’s day-to-day running, Hughes still led the way in terms of conducting transfer business this summer.
A claim from Romain Molina on August 30 suggested that Hughes had been handling both Liverpool and Al Hilal’s transfer negotiations, which Pearce now refutes.
Pearce said: “Hughes endured a torrent of criticism online for not doing more deals, but sources close to the Scot and senior Liverpool sources have all emphatically dismissed suggestions that he was dividing his time between Liverpool and his upcoming new role. All parties insist there was no conflict of interest. He will leave on good terms.”
[?] INFO: Sources close to Richard Hughes and senior Liverpool sources have all emphatically dismissed suggestions that he was dividing his time between Liverpool and his upcoming new role.
All parties insist there was no conflict of interest.
He will leave on good terms.…
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) September 2, 2026
Liverpool’s relative lack of transfers has also been attributed to the major shakeup at boardroom level.
Pearce continued: “It’s also a period of transition at ownership level, with FSG having recently agreed to sell a 38 per cent stake in the club to a consortium led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia.
“This is the story of a tumultuous few months, based on conversations with multiple sources with knowledge of Liverpool’s transfer business, all of whom spoke anonymously to protect their positions.”
A private jet left Liverpool for Bournemouth, where Hughes’ home is, and is presumed to have carried the now-former Liverpool sport director, whose reputation will unfortunately remain linked to a transfer window in which the Reds failed to address their biggest shortcomings.
