Al-Hilal have officially confirmed the appointment of former Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, with the Saudi Pro League giants strengthening their football structure by bringing the experienced Scot to Riyadh.
The club announced on Sunday that Hughes had signed a contract to become Al-Hilal’s new sporting director and had already commenced his duties following his arrival in the Saudi capital.
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Hughes leaves Liverpool after just over two years at Anfield, having stepped down from his position on September 5 to pursue what the Reds described as a fresh challenge.
Liverpool confirmed that the process of appointing his successor was already underway.
Al-Hilal’s official announcement explained that Hughes’ appointment forms part of a wider effort to strengthen the club’s football system and develop its sporting structure.
The Saudi side believe his experience will help improve technical work, recruitment and scouting while creating greater integration across the football department.
The 47-year-old brings considerable experience to the role, having enjoyed a lengthy career both on and off the pitch.
After representing clubs including Bournemouth and Portsmouth as a player and earning five caps for Scotland, Hughes moved into football administration following his retirement.
He began working in Bournemouth’s recruitment department before becoming the club’s sporting director in 2016.
Hughes later joined Liverpool in June 2024 after leaving Bournemouth, taking charge during one of the most significant transitional periods in the club’s recent history following Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
During his time at Anfield, Liverpool won their 20th league title in the 2024-25 season and secured Champions League qualification the following campaign.
His departure from Merseyside came shortly after the close of the summer transfer window, with reports stating that Hughes had overseen around £200m of spending during Liverpool’s most recent recruitment drive.
At Al-Hilal, Hughes will work alongside an experienced sporting management team.
The club confirmed that Englishman Simon Francis will serve as Football Technical Director, while Mark Burchill has been appointed Director of Recruitment and Craig McKee Director of Scouting.
Harry Arter will operate as Senior Technical Scout, with Abdulhakim Al-Tuwaijri serving as Technical Director for Youth Teams.
The appointments underline Al-Hilal’s ambition to build a more comprehensive football operation behind the scenes.
With Hughes now officially in place, the former Liverpool sporting director faces a major new challenge as he looks to use his Premier League experience to strengthen recruitment, scouting and the wider sporting structure at one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs.
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