Liverpool overhaul gathers pace as Richard Hughes to be appointed sporting director

Liverpool are expected to confirm the appointment of Richard Hughes as the club’s new sporting director later on Wednesday.

Hughes’ Anfield key role is already an open secret. His current club, Bournemouth, said the Glasgow-born executive will be leaving the south coast at the end this season, and the guessing game as to where he is headed did not last long.

He joins the Merseyside club to restructure its football operations after Jurgen Klopp’s departure this summer.

Officially, Hughes begins in June, alongside Fenway Sports Group’s new football chief executive, Michael Edwards.

However, it is inconceivable Edwards and Hughes will not already be consulting regarding the pressing matter of who replaces Jurgen Klopp before the start of next season.

Once Edwards’ new role was established and agreed, the luring of Hughes was anticipated and agreement swiftly reached, despite much interest in both their services. The pair have a long-standing friendship having worked together at Portsmouth in the early 2000s.

Edwards rejoined Liverpool earlier this month after a prolonged negotiation with FSG President Michael Gordon. He had earlier rejected the chance to return as a sporting director, but his reiterating of that stance disguised the true nature of his talks with Liverpool’s owners as they offered a more senior role,

Hughes is regarded as one of the most astute talent spotters in the Premier League, and those credentials will now be put to the test at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

As was the case with Gordon when he delegated many responsibilities to Edwards - especially in overseeing the club’s famed data analysis and scouting department - so it will be for Hughes.

The 44-year-old has plenty on his plate from day one, with contract talks needed to keep Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah beyond the final year of their contract, all expiring in 2025.

And most urgently, who will emerge as the successor to Klopp.