Liverpool’s transfer staff is expanding ahead of a summer of change for the club, with new sporting director Richard Hughes bringing in another new face.
In Hughes, the Reds have hopefully brought in a figurehead who can help lead them through a period of uncertainty and on to more success.
The sporting director, who will officially arrive from Bournemouth in the summer, succeeds the departed Jorg Schmadtke to work with Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football, Michael Edwards.
While their priority is appointing a new manager ahead of Jurgen Klopp‘s exit, plans will be in motion to further add to the squad this summer.
To that end, Hughes is set to bring in two of his colleagues from Bournemouth, with chief scout Mark Burchill’s switch already reported last week.
BBC Sport‘s Ian Dennis has now added that Liverpool are also expected to appoint Craig McKee, who operates as scouting co-ordinator for the south-coast club.
In a report for the Guardian in 2017, McKee was described as “the heartbeat of the operation” put in place by Hughes at Bournemouth.
He previously held roles at Scottish Rugby and Edinburgh Rugby, before moving into football with Hibernian and Southampton before joining Bournemouth.
Quite how these new appointments will impact the current structure at Liverpool is unclear, given the club already have a chief scout in Barry Hunter and a scouting co-ordinator in Kyle Wallbanks.
The expectation is that this will be part of a wider expansion that includes the setup already in place, with David Fallows also in place as head of recruitment.
An extensive network of scouts and analysts works to identify the right targets to bolster the Liverpool squad in the transfer market, as well as the academy, which requires leadership.
It should be noted that Liverpool owners FSG also plan to acquire another club in the near future, with that a major part of Edwards’ new role.
Benfica technical director Pedro Marques has been headhunted for involvement at FSG’s next club, and there is a chance that a reshuffle takes place within Liverpool’s backroom, too.
Fan Comments