Sporting directors used to be hired for the long term. Now they are more expendable

The hard rumours about Richard Hughes joining Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal started roughly 18 months before the end of his contract, which is what you’d expect for a footballer representing the Premier League champions.Except, Hughes is a sporting director who only arrived at Liverpool in 2024.Different versions of what his future might look like have since circulated, while an April takeover at Al Hilal has complicated matters — conversations were ticking along before the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) sold a 70 per cent stake to the Kingdom Holding Company, a firm run by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the billionaire businessman and member of the Saudi royal family. Some believe that Hughes is committed to Liverpool for this summer at least but it is less clear what happens after that.Advertisement