[ad_1]
Liverpool have their man, with Richard Hughes confirmed as the club’s new sporting director. The current Bournemouth boss will take up his new role on Merseyside on June 1.
It is the first major appointment made under Michael Edwards as FSG’s chief football officer. With Jürgen Klopp will leave at the end of the season and plans are now being put in place for a new era at Anfield.
speaking to LiverpoolFC.com, Hughes said: “I am fully aware of the expectations and responsibilities that come with taking on this role. It will be my job, working with Michael (Edwards) and leading the existing football operations team, as well as the wider AXA Training Center staff, to make good decisions.
READ MORE: Who is Richard Hughes? Liverpool confirm new sporting director in key hire of Michael Edwards
READ MORE: ‘It’s clear’: Bayer Leverkusen star talks about Xabi Alonso’s future amid his Liverpool links
“That’s really what the job entails: You have to make the kind of good decisions that improve the prospects of having a team that wins and excites the fans. “It is what Liverpool have done well for a long time and the benefits are there for all to see.”
Hughes will already have been keeping a close eye on his potential first assignments once he starts work in the summer and, as well as appointing a new manager, there are also two more priorities he needs to tick off to get off to the perfect start. That includes some crucial contract situations and interest in Liverpool’s best attacker. These are the three things Liverpool’s new sporting director must address first.
Decide on the next coach
First and foremost, Liverpool need to find their next manager. The majority of the fans want it to be Xabi Alonso. Of course, arguments can be made in favor of people like Rúben Amorim, but only one makes sense to me.
The most reassuring element of the link with Xabi Alonso is that the Spaniard has not been categorically ruled out even once. That’s not what you’d expect if you were a Bayer Leverkusen fan; The more time passes, the more they resign themselves to this being his last season there. The Bundesliga club will not feel too aggrieved as they should claim the league title, while a Europa League final against Liverpool is also a possibility.
Richard Hughes would get off to the perfect start by securing a deal for Alonso over Bayern Munich, which has also been linked to interest in his signature. While the potential new sporting director will not be able to join until the end of the season, it is worth noting that Alonso obviously could not join until his commitments to Bayer Leverkusen are completed.
Renew Virgil van Dijk’s contract
Virgil van Dijk needs a new long-term deal. Trent Alexander-Arnold also falls into this category, but I think there is a lot more comfort surrounding Trent’s situation, especially given that he is on track to captain the club in the future. There will only be one year left on Van Dijk’s contract in the summer, and his form this season could see clubs looking to sign him.
It is not out of the question that Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid make him a proposal that even increases his current salary. But if the Reds can give him the offer he deserves, he will surely want to continue on Merseyside.
Keep Mohamed Salah
The Saudi Pro League will return for Mohamed Salah in the summer, and this time they will have a stronger negotiating stance with Salah entering the final year of his contract. Losing Salah would set Liverpool back at least a couple of years, meaning the Reds must ensure he stays.
There is also a domino effect, as if Salah stays, there will be easier decisions for everyone else to stay at the club. The Egyptian winger still has many records to break in the top flight of English football and I think he would be disappointed by the level of football in Saudi Arabia at the moment. Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, Salah is still at a stage in his career where he can be influential at the highest level.
That said, the club should at least consider a $190m (£150m/€175m) offer. Personally, he would reject it in favor of signing him to a new three-year contract.
As FSG continue to grow off the field by recruiting a supporting cast for Michael Edwards, attention will soon have to turn to Liverpool’s first team. If they get things right then there is no reason why a new manager can’t usher in his tenure with a new era of dominance.
A version of this story was first published on March 17. Updated following confirmation of Richard Hughes’ appointment as Liverpool sporting director.