Richard Hughes' Liverpool gamble is already starting to look strange

Richard Hughes' Liverpool gamble is already starting to look strange Liverpool made a fair few signings in the summer. Four of them stayed at Anfield and have had a huge impact on Andoni Iraola's first season in charge so far. However, two of them were sent out on loan to gain more experience. Indeed, this has been the way things have been handled at Liverpool for a while now with the club always looking for ways to set themselves up for the future. But, as with every club, some deals always feel a little bit strange and, after some fresh quotes have just emerged, one of Richard Hughes' final Liverpool gambles now looks a tad weird. KRC Genk's director says he never expected Lucca Brughmans' transfer fee to be so high Ronald Araujo, Victor Munoz, Bradley Barcola and Jeremy Jacquet were the four players who were added to Liverpool's ranks this summer. Each of them have taken up a regular place in the Reds' starting XI with Araujo and Jacquet having the biggest impact so far. However, as the summer transfer window edged closer to its deadline, there were a couple of last minute deals that the Anfield outfit managed to pull off. These moves saw Lucca Brughmans and Djylian N’Guessan get snapped up by Liverpool and, while there was talk of Brughmans coming in as Liverpool's second-choice 'keeper, that never came to fruition. Instead, he was loaned back to KRC Genk and now, in quotes relayed by Sports Witness, their sporting director, Dimitri de Conde shared how shocked he was about the fee Liverpool paid for the 18-year-old. "I knew he was on the radar of top clubs," he said . "He was one of the lads we hoped to get a handsome fee for at some point, to ensure the club’s survival. But for it to happen that quickly. And for that amount, I never saw that coming. "People saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!’ Sorry, but that’s not the case. “In the end, I got a call from his agency at 11am on a Sunday, two days before the English transfer window closed. "Liverpool is serious. ‘This is the offer.’ And the very next morning, Lucca was on a plane to Liverpool. I do take credit for the fact that we, as a club, chose that path." Liverpool could have paid less for Lucca Brughmans When the price of Brughmans' deal was shared , fans were shocked. Liverpool spent slightly more on the 18-year-old Belgian than they did on Giorgi Mamardashvili a couple of seasons ago which, with how much more experience the Georgian had over the Genk shot-stopper, is mind-boggling. Obviously, Brughmans' potential needs to be taken into account but, even then, the transfer fee paid for the 18-year-old seems a tad excessive. If he'd have come in as Liverpool's second-choice this season, there would have been so much pressure on his shoulders. So, the fact that he's staying with Genk for at least another year is good news. These quotes emerging do, however, make you question why on earth Hughes spent that much money on him at all. Of course, his recent performances have proven how good he can actually be but, at the moment, it still remains to be seen whether or not he's going to be able to live up to expectations.