Liverpool eye ex-player with ties to Michael Edwards for sporting director job

Liverpool and AS Roma are both considering the same candidate for sporting director this summer, reports claim, with an interesting tie to Michael Edwards.

Per The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, Liverpool will hope to have their next sporting director finalised by the end of March.

A number of candidates have already been revealed, including Edwards, with widespread reports claiming he would only consider a return to Merseyside in a wider, more senior role.

One of those considered is Richard Hughes, the current Bournemouth technical director who is expected to leave the south-coast club at the end of the season.

According to the Mail‘s Sami Mokbel, the 44-year-old is of interest to both Liverpool and Roma, with there a “growing resignation” at Bournemouth that he will depart.

A former player for Bournemouth in the lower tiers and Portsmouth in the Premier League, Hughes joined the Cherries’ recruitment staff in 2014 before later being promoted to the leading role.

Interestingly, he is explained to have a “close relationship” with Edwards, who “is known to rate the Cherries administrator as a top transfer operator.”

This could be a timely development given the suggestions that Liverpool could restructure their setup with a ‘Football CEO’ appointed above a sporting director.

The thinking would be that Edwards could return in the senior role with Hughes operating below him, allowing Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon to step back from his day-to-day role with Liverpool as he initially planned.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has already taken up a new position as CEO of FSG International, managing the ownership group’s entire portfolio.

While it has been maintained that this would not impact Hogan’s duties at Anfield, it is hard to see that being the case.

There appear to be indications that FSG are expanding their leadership group, and though there is no concrete evidence that a Edwards-Hughes coalition at Liverpool is in the works yet, it would certainly make sense.