Liverpool's Recruitment Woes: Final Days of Richard Hughes' Tenure
Liverpool are edging towards a huge deal in the final days of Richard Hughes’ reign – but the mood around Anfield is anything but calm.
The sporting director is closing in on his move to Al Hilal, bringing to an end a turbulent spell in charge of recruitment. His time has packed in just about everything: a Premier League title celebration, chaotic windows, and high-profile targets turning Liverpool down in public.
In his first summer, it was Martin Zubimendi who slipped away. In his third, Yan Diomande. The second window brought more joy, with several key targets finally walking through the door. The issue now is uncomfortable and obvious: too many of those signings have yet to justify the money.
Supporters feel it. The frustration has been building as Hughes prepares to walk out.
When a club leans on a sporting director to run recruitment, fans expect clarity. A plan. Someone who knows the profile they want, has backup options ready, and looks like they’re reading the market a beat ahead of everyone else.
Recent weeks have painted a very different picture.
At times, Liverpool have looked like they are lobbing darts at a board in total darkness, hoping one of them lands somewhere near the bullseye. It’s a worrying way to run a window for any club, never mind one with Liverpool’s ambitions.
The timing could hardly be worse. The Premier League season is just hours away, yet the squad still looks unfinished. Holes remain all over the pitch. Most pressing of all, Andoni Iraola still doesn’t have the full set of players he needs to impose his style properly.
This is not the summer Liverpool thought they were walking into.
Something has to give – and fast.
Instead, they are still locked in talks over Bradley Barcola. The pursuit has dragged on for weeks, possibly months, with no final breakthrough. It now resembles a stare-down, each side waiting for the other to blink.
For a squad already short on depth, it’s a dangerous game.
Even if Liverpool finally land Barcola, the job is far from done. They still need another winger capable of playing on the right, especially with the gaping void left by Mohamed Salah. One signing won’t stitch that wound closed.
Ibrahim Mbaye has been floated as a possible solution, but senior figures at Liverpool have cooled that talk. Internally, the noise is that any interest is only exploratory at this stage. Nothing concrete. Nothing close.
And so the same problem circles back. Liverpool need reinforcements. They need them quickly. The pool of realistic options shrinks by the day.
There is, at least, one move gathering pace.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are now pushing on with a “massive” transfer, stepping up their efforts to sign Barcola from PSG. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano confirmed that talks are ongoing and that he expects the Reds to accelerate the deal in the coming days.
After weeks of back-and-forth, that points to one conclusion: Liverpool are closing in on an agreement for the French forward.
The question now is whether that long-awaited breakthrough arrives in time to steady a window that has threatened to unravel before a ball has even been kicked.
