Richard Hughes’ appointment as Liverpool’s next sporting director may have raised a few eyebrows.
That said, there are no doubts in Des Taylor’s mind over the quality he’ll bring to his new role.
The Scot is set to join the Reds officially on June 1, though will already play a leading role in recruiting Jurgen Klopp’s eventual successor.
“Richard is multi-lingual – fluent in Italian and French – and he has a high academic IQ but also an extremely high footballing IQ in terms of leadership, negotiation and technical observation,” the former Bournemouth chief scout told BBC Sport.
Taylor went on to add: “There is no doubt in my mind that Richard will be a success at Liverpool. With Michael by his side, he will flourish.”
The Merseysiders have already secured the return of forming sporting director Michael Edwards – now acting as FSG’s CEO of Football.
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A man in Edwards’ image
How reassuring it is to hear that Hughes is not only close with our former sporting executive but also shares his ideals.
There are still much in the way of unknowns around how the pair will operate, of course, in the coming months. Particularly, whilst there is a power vacuum ahead of the appointment of a new manager.
An approach guided by data, however, can only mean good things for the long-term strategy of the club.
Hopefully, it’ll mean a few things are taken off our head coach’s plate already by the time he gets round to filling his new desk at the AXA training centre!
He can’t speak English or Spanish (Scottish doesn’t count) and Italians for the most part can’t play in the EPL, Most French players save a few cause more trouble than they are worth, bitching and complaining, so we could be in for a rough ride!