Liverpool’s search for a new sporting director is entering a more active phase, with Fenway Sports Group widening the net beyond the club’s own corridors.
Mike Gordon, FSG’s president, is personally overseeing the process, and he has made clear that no stone will be left unturned before a decision is made.
Several names have already surfaced in recent weeks, some from within Liverpool’s own football department and others from rival clubs across Europe.
According to BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, that search has now moved into direct contact with outside candidates, and one meeting in particular stands out.
Liverpool have held talks with Brentford technical director Lee Dykes as part of their process to identify Richard Hughes’s successor, Mokbel reports.
Dykes is one of several external figures the club have engaged with, and he is understood to be among those who have actually sat down with Liverpool representatives rather than simply being monitored from afar.
Dykes joined Brentford in 2019 as head of recruitment and was promoted to technical director in 2022, taking on responsibility for recruitment, analysis, data and player pathways.
He previously served as sporting director at Bury, where the club won promotion from League Two in 2018-19, and held roles at Carlisle United, Crawley Town, Notts County and Oldham Athletic after starting out as a youth coach at Rotherham United in 2007.
He holds an MSc in Sporting Directorship from the University of Salford.
Hughes left Liverpool for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal in September, shortly after the summer transfer window closed. He had joined from Bournemouth, where he spent a decade as technical director, taking up the Anfield role on 1 June 2024.
During his time as sporting director, Hughes oversaw Liverpool’s 2024-25 Premier League title win and signings including Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, and he played a role in the appointments of both Arne Slot and, later, Andoni Iraola as head coach.
Liverpool are also weighing internal options. Julian Ward, David Woodfine, Pedro Marques and Matt Newberry have all been named as candidates from within the club’s existing structure, while Bayern Munich’s Christoph Freund and Como’s Carlalberto Ludi are among the overseas figures FSG have assessed.
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.