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This is an updated version of an article first published on March 8.

As a footballer, Richard Hughes largely went under the radar.

Barring dedicated followers of Portsmouth, where he spent nine seasons, mostly in the Premier League, and Bournemouth, where he had two spells, it is unlikely many will have dwelt on an admirable but unglamorous playing career.

Certainly, few would have had him down to one day land one of the most coveted jobs in world football.

He has an impressive body of work behind him, but there is no doubt the bond between them — forged when Hughes was an unheralded figure in Portsmouth’s midfield and Edwards worked at the club as one of English football’s first performance analysts — has been instrumental.

One of Hughes’s first tasks at Liverpool will also be his most daunting – helping to recruit a manager to replace Klopp.

It will surely be helpful to Hughes and by extension to Liverpool that Iraola is represented by the same management agency as Alonso.

Richard Hughes with Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola (AFC Bournemouth)

The decision to remove Iraola’s predecessor was viewed as controversial because Gary O’Neil, a former team-mate of Hughes’ at Portsmouth, and another friend of Edwards, had signalled his promise as a manager by rescuing the club’s 2022-23 campaign.

There has been more evidence of O’Neil’s talent since taking over at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ultimately, that has vindicated a decision for a club that will always be doing well in the Premier League providing it is not in contention for the drop.

Liverpool’s priorities are at the opposite end of the table and one of the challenges for Hughes will be how he copes with a much sharper and nevertheless wider focus on the success of his work.

At Bournemouth, Hughes worked with five managers, yet four of those have been in the last four years, as the club has fought to reestablish itself in the top flight after relegation in 2020 was followed by the departure of long-serving manager Eddie Howe.

Hughes had known Howe since they were teenagers, starting their playing careers at Bournemouth, and the pair also joined Portsmouth within months of one another.

Given that Howe won promotion into the Premier League in 2015 with a team that had an average age the wrong side of 25, there was an acceptance at Bournemouth that the club would have to change that profile in order to remain in the top flight.

Initially, this involved more pragmatic experienced-based signings.

He has since proven to be an astute investment, who Bournemouth could make a profit on if they were to engage some of the leading clubs allegedly wanting to sign him as a 26 year old.

Hughes would also engineer deals for Tyrone Mings (from Ipswich Town), Benik Afobe (Wolves), Max Gradel (Saint-Etienne), Lewis Cook (Leeds United), Nathan Ake (Chelsea), Aaron Ramdsale and David Brooks (Sheffield United), Jefferson Lerma (Levante), Phillip Billing (Huddersfield Town), Arnaut Danjuma (Club Bruges) and Lloyd Kelly (Bristol City). 

All but one of these players either came from abroad or the lower leagues of England and have, either at Bournemouth or elsewhere, proven themselves as being capable of playing at a higher level. The exception is Ake, who was not in Chelsea’s first team when he moved to Dean Court, but has since emerged as a key component in Manchester City’s defence under Pep Guardiola.

Nathan Ake became a star at Bournemouth (Will Oliver/AFP via Getty Images)

More recently, Hughes has been able to bring exciting young foreign talent to the club that was previously considered out of reach, as well as highly regarded Championship players.
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