Liverpool director Richard Hughes closing in on Bournemouth raid

Liverpool’s new sporting director Richard Hughes is reportedly closing in on his first key appointment since being appointed by the Reds, as he raids former employers Bournemouth for their chief scout Mark Birchall.

That’s according to a report in the Liverpool Echo, who state that things look to be moving along for Hughes to poach Birchall from Bournemouth ahead of officially starting his new job at Anfield on the 1st of June.

Hughes himself was recently hired by Michael Edwards, who is returning to Liverpool in a new senior role with their owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

All in all, it looks like this could be the start of an exciting new era for LFC, even though they’ve been dealt the blow of losing their legendary manager Jurgen Klopp, with the German tactician recently announcing that he’d be stepping down from his job at the end of this season.

Liverpool set for new-look recruitment team

Bournemouth have done some smart work in the transfer market in recent times, so Liverpool fans will surely be delighted with Hughes and Birchall coming in to identify and recruit the best players possible.

Edwards and Klopp previously seemed to work really well together as some world class talents made the move to the club in the last decade or so, with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk among the biggest success stories.

It won’t be easy for anyone to replicate that, but Edwards clearly sees something in Hughes, who himself seems keen to work with Birchall again, so that could end up being a winning combination for the Merseyside giants moving forwards.

Of course, as well as making signings, Liverpool’s new board will have to work together to identify and hire the best possible manager to replace Klopp for next season, which is perhaps going to be their biggest challenge of all.