Who will be Liverpool’s new sporting director, and what challenges will they face?

Liverpool are searching for a new sporting director for the fifth time since 2022, after Richard Hughes confirmed his move to Al-Hilal. Hughes joined the club in 2024 and oversaw the appointments of Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola before telling Liverpool he wanted a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.

Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group, is leading the search. Liverpool want to move quickly, but are considering both internal and external candidates. The club also wants someone committed for the long term. Hughes will take recruitment staff members Mark Burchill and Craig McKee with him to the Middle East.

David Woodfine, Hughes’ former assistant and Liverpool’s previous director of loans, is one possible successor. Julian Ward, who served as sporting director from 2022 to 2023, is another. Ward oversaw the signings of Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Núñez, and now works as FSG’s technical director. Pedro Marques, FSG’s director of football development, previously served as Benfica’s technical director and helped sign Enzo Fernández for £10 million. Luis Campos of Paris Saint-Germain would be the strongest external candidate mentioned, although he is unlikely to want to leave the European champions immediately.

The new appointment will also face decisions about Liverpool’s established core. Alisson’s contract expires at the end of the season, although Liverpool had no intention of allowing the Brazil goalkeeper to leave during the summer despite interest from Juventus. Iraola made the 33-year-old one of his vice-captains, and Alisson has started all three league games so far.

Liverpool have alternatives, but Giorgi Mamardashvili has not fully convinced and 18-year-old Lucca Brughmans will arrive from Genk next summer in a deal worth up to £30 million. He is unlikely to be viewed as an immediate first-choice goalkeeper. Alisson has been among Liverpool’s best players during a period that brought two Premier League titles and a Champions League, leaving his future as one of the new director’s major decisions.