According to Reuters, Liverpool have announced that Richard Hughes, the departing technical director of Bournemouth, will be joining them as their new sporting director at the end of the 2023-24 season. This move comes as the Merseyside club prepares for the post-Juergen Klopp era.
In early March, Bournemouth revealed that the 44-year-old former Scotland midfielder would be leaving his position as technical director after being in charge since 2016. Hughes also had two playing spells at the south coast side between 1998-2002 and 2012-2014.
He will be taking over the role from Jorg Schmadtke and will be joining Michael Edwards, who was recently appointed by Liverpool’s owners as the Chief Executive Officer of Football after a successful 10-year tenure at the club.
“I am incredibly proud to be offered this opportunity… People rightly talk about the rich history this organisation can boast, but it is the present and future which really excites me,” Hughes said in a statement.
“It will be my job, working with Michael and leading the football operations team already in place, plus the wider staff at the AXA Training Centre, to make good decisions.” Hughes is set to start his new responsibilities at Liverpool on June 1.
Earlier this year, Klopp, 56, announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the current season after eight-and-a-half trophy-laden years at the club, citing diminishing energy levels.
“As one very successful chapter will come to a close for Liverpool in the summer, the objective of everyone here is for another one to begin — and with Richard I am confident we have the right person in position for us to achieve this aim,” Edwards said.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
