Who will be new Liverpool sporting director - and what issues do they face?
September 7, 2026 15:52
Richard Hughes has left Liverpool to take up a role at Al-Hilal, and the club is now searching for a new sporting director — the fifth person to be appointed to that post since 2022. Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon is leading the recruitment and Liverpool want to make a prompt appointment, considering both internal and external candidates and preferring someone committed for the long term.
Potential internal options include David Woodfine (Hughes' former assistant and ex-director of loans) and Julian Ward (Liverpool sporting director in 2022–23 who is now FSG’s technical director). FSG’s Pedro Marques is also a named candidate, while Paris St‑Germain’s Luis Campos is identified externally as the strongest outside option, although he is considered unlikely to leave PSG immediately. Hughes has also taken two Liverpool recruitment staff members, Mark Burchill and Craig McKee, to the Middle East.
KEY CONTEXT
- Hughes only joined Liverpool in summer 2024 and was involved in appointing Arne Slot and then Andoni Iraola.
- Ward previously oversaw signings such as Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Núñez during his spell as sporting director.
- Pedro Marques has a background at Benfica (where he helped with the Enzo Fernández deal) and as a first‑team performance analyst at Manchester City.
- The sporting director role will inherit several significant squad and contract issues left unresolved or evolving this season.
WHY IT MATTERS
The incoming sporting director will quickly confront high‑profile contract and squad-management questions. Goalkeeper Alisson’s contract runs until the end of this season; Liverpool had no intention of selling him this summer despite reported interest from Juventus, and he has been named vice‑captain by Iraola and started Liverpool’s opening league matches. There are alternatives in the squad and a young goalkeeper, Lucca Brughmans, is due to join next summer, but he is not expected to be an immediate first choice.
Virgil van Dijk is out of contract next summer; his experience has become more important after the departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson. Liverpool have a number of promising young centre‑backs (Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye) who could benefit from Van Dijk’s presence, but the club must decide how to balance his future with their defensive succession planning.
Midfield is another area for the new sporting director to manage. Liverpool did not bring in a midfielder in the summer after Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan; the club examined Monaco’s Lamine Camara but did not complete a deal. Andoni Iraola says Liverpool have “good numbers” in midfield, but much will be asked of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister as fixtures intensify. Mac Allister’s contract runs until 2028 and, as things stand, there are no talks over a new deal — an issue the successor will inherit. Upfront, Liverpool are less concerned after recent signings (including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Víctor Muñoz and Bradley Barcola were brought in under Hughes).
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- Who Mike Gordon and FSG appoint: whether the club chooses from inside the organisation (eg, Woodfine, Ward or Marques) or looks externally.
- How quickly the new sporting director addresses the contract situations of Alisson (expires end of season) and Van Dijk (out of contract next summer).
- Whether Liverpool reopen midfielder recruitment in the January window or next summer, and if talks over a new deal for Alexis Mac Allister begin.
- How the club replaces recruitment staff who left with Hughes and how integration of incoming youngsters such as Lucca Brughmans is planned.
KEY FACTS
- Richard Hughes has left Liverpool for Al‑Hilal; two Liverpool recruitment staff (Mark Burchill, Craig McKee) also moved to the Middle East.
- Liverpool are seeking their fifth sporting director since 2022; Mike Gordon is overseeing the appointment.
- Internal candidates include David Woodfine and Julian Ward; Pedro Marques and, externally, Luis Campos have been mentioned.
- Alisson’s contract expires at the end of this season; Virgil van Dijk is out of contract next summer.