Richard Hughes Appointed Al-Hilal Sporting Director After Liverpool Departure

Richard Hughes has been confirmed as the new sporting director of Al-Hilal, with the Saudi Pro League leaders announcing his arrival on Sunday 6 September 2026.

The 47-year-old departed Liverpool after a turbulent spell at Anfield and has now taken up his duties in Riyadh, according to the club's official announcement (Al-Hilal). The Athletic first reported his Liverpool exit on 5 September, with the move to Saudi Arabia widely expected (The Athletic). Al-Hilal's English-language X account confirmed the appointment the following morning.

A sporting director, for those unfamiliar, is the executive who oversees a club's football operations — recruitment, contracts, squad planning — working alongside the head coach rather than on the touchline. Hughes built his reputation in that role at Bournemouth before Liverpool brought him in during 2024. His first major decision at Anfield was a bold one: appointing Arne Slot to succeed Jürgen Klopp as head coach. Slot delivered the Premier League title in his first season, 2024-25, validating the call.

Then it unravelled. Slot was sacked in June 2026 and replaced by Andoni Iraola, the man Hughes had previously worked with at Bournemouth. Hughes himself departed Anfield soon after, ending a brief but eventful two-year tenure (The Guardian).

He is not heading to Saudi Arabia alone. Two members of Liverpool's recruitment department, Mark Burchill and Craig McKee — who had followed Hughes from Bournemouth to Anfield in 2024 — were set to join him at Al-Hilal, according to The Guardian.

Al-Hilal said the appointment forms part of efforts to "strengthen its football system and develop its sporting structure with specialised expertise." The Riyadh-based club, top of the Saudi Pro League, is managed by Simone Inzaghi, formerly of Inter Milan. Hughes will also find familiar Premier League talent in the squad: Gabriel Martinelli, Crysencio Summerville and Ollie Watkins all joined Al-Hilal in summer 2026 from Arsenal, West Ham and Aston Villa respectively.

For a club already assembling serious firepower on the pitch, Hughes adds a proven operator off it — one whose Liverpool tenure brought a title but ended in upheaval. The task now is building something more durable in the desert.