Who will be new Liverpool sporting director - and what issues do they face?

Michael Edwards (centre) and Richard Hughes (centre-right) have both left Liverpool this summer. [Getty Images] With Richard Hughes' move to Al-Hilal now confirmed, Liverpool are seeking a new sporting director for the fifth time since 2022. Hughes joined Liverpool in the summer of 2024 and oversaw the appointments of Arne Slot then Andoni Iraola. He informed the club earlier this year that he wanted to pursue a new challenge in Saudi Arabia. Mike Gordon, the president of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is overseeing the process of finding Hughes' replacement, with Liverpool keen to make a swift appointment. Liverpool will look at internal candidates, but have not ruled out the possibility of appointing someone from outside the club. There is a desire to have someone that is committed long term. But who are candidates? And what challenges do they face? Who are the candidates? David Woodfine, who was Hughes' assistant and was previously Liverpool's director of loans is one potential candidate. Woodfine was pictured giving Iraola a tour of the facilities at the AXA Training Centre when he arrived in June. Another is Julian Ward, who was Liverpool's sporting director between 2022 and 2023 and oversaw the signings of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez. He is now FSG's technical director. Pedro Marques is FSG's director of football development and was previously the technical director at Benfica, where he helped sign Enzo Fernandez for £10m and before that, a first-team performance analyst at Manchester City. Outside Anfield, Luis Campos at Paris St-Germain would be the strongest appointment but he is unlikely to view his immediate future away from the European champions. Whoever replaces Hughes - who has also taken two members of Liverpool's recruitment staff in Mark Burchill and Craig McKee to the Middle East - they will have plenty to address. Do Liverpool try to keep Alisson and Van Dijk? Van Dijk and Alisson both joined Liverpool in 2018 [Getty Images] Alisson's deal expires at the end of the season and although Juventus were interested in the Brazil goalkeeper this summer, Liverpool had no intention of letting him leave. Iraola appointed Alisson one of his vice-captains and the 33-year-old has started in all three of their league games so far. He remains comfortably their best goalkeeper even if he is not at his peak. Liverpool are not short of options, although Giorgi Mamardashvili has not fully convinced thus far while 18-year-old Lucca Brughmans will arrive next summer from Genk in a deal worth up to £30m but is unlikely to be viewed as an immediate first choice. Alisson has been one of Liverpool's best players during a period in which they won two Premier League titles and a Champions League and the new sporting director will have to decide whether to try and keep him at Anfield next season. The same can be said of skipper Virgil van Dijk, who is out of contract next summer. Having lost senior figures Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson at the end of last season, Liverpool need experience, so losing both Alisson and Van Dijk in the same close season would carry risk. After an extended break following the World Cup, the 35-year-old has played every minute of Liverpool's league campaign so far and although he may not be quite the force he once was, he is still comfortably one of Europe's best centre-backs. Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye have huge potential and the new sporting director may view Van Dijk as the perfect player for them to learn from. What about Liverpool's midfield and attack? Iraola believes Liverpool have "good numbers" in midfield despite not strengthening that position over the summer following Curtis Jones' move to Inter Milan. Faith has been placed in Trey Nyoni to feature more this season and the 19-year-old was one of the standouts of Liverpool's pre-season tour of the USA. As the fixture list heats up, a lot will be asked of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Mac Allister, so an injury to any of them could prove a major issue. As reported last week by BBC Sport, Liverpool have looked at Monaco's Lamine Camara but were not open to buying a midfielder this summer. That position could become a priority in January or next summer, particularly if it looks likely that there will be no contract extension for Mac Allister, whose deal expires in 2028. As things stand, there are no talks over a new deal for the Argentina midfielder. That will be another situation for Hughes' successor to pick up. The area where there is less concern is up front, with Hughes signing Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola on his watch. With 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha expected to sign a long-term deal, Liverpool appear well-stocked in that department. Liverpool eventually decided not to allow Cody Gakpo to leave for Manchester City this summer. The Netherlands forward has one goal and three assists already this season, but if they were able to sign a new winger and received another lucrative bid for Gakpo, that could be a scenario the club revisit. Building a relationship with Iraola When the question of stability was put to Billy Hogan, Liverpool's CEO, this summer, he told BBC Sport : "I would send a message that we are in a very healthy place as a football club - the leadership from the ownership is in a very steady place and we're looking forward to the next season and the season ahead." However this has been a summer where Liverpool have changed managers, welcomed new investors, lost a number of senior players and seen their sporting director leave a year earlier than expected. Michael Edwards, who appointed Hughes, also resigned as FSG's CEO of Football. Hughes, who is understood to have been influenced by Edwards' departure, was integral in the decision to sack Slot and appoint Iraola and ultimately the new sporting director will have a big say in the Spaniard's future. When he joined Liverpool, Iraola said he only signed a two-year-deal because he didn't just want to be somewhere because he had a contract. His relationship with Hughes from their time at Bournemouth played a part in him getting the Liverpool job. Now it will be down to someone else to work in tandem with Iraola as Liverpool look to challenge again. Hughes steps down as Liverpool sporting director Isak finally arrives as Gakpo proves value to Liverpool