Richard Hughes is now fighting for his Liverpool legacy as critical period begins

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This week's Blood Red column on sporting director Richard Hughes and how his legacy will be viewed at LiverpoolOn board the open-top bus that was ferrying Liverpool staff and and a smattering of media around the city last year to mark the Premier League title win, the conversation turned to sporting director Richard Hughes.It was stressed, by those who work with him, that he will have taken a backseat view of the incredible scenes unfolding in front of him on the bus that contained Arne Slot and his squad just metres behind.As an estimated one million people shuffled onto the streets to cheer on their heroes, it was made clear that Hughes wouldn't have wanted any attention or what he will have viewed as undue credit for the team's success.It was a stance aligned with Hughes being 'Michael Edwards' man' - another Reds executive who has, somewhat famously in fact, never courted the limelight - but despite the reluctance to place himself at the centre of the party last May, it was also detailed how the Scot was "one of the best in the business" when it came to the position he inherited.Even after the exponential increase in sporting directors across English football this past decade, still so little is known about their day-to-day tasks. But it is fair to say they are judged primarily now, by supporters at least, on the success of their transfer dealings.And with Hughes expected to depart for Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal at the end of the current transfer window, is there an argument to say that the next few months will actually define his Anfield legacy?There are undoubtedly success stories across the last three summers.

Within a year the club was celebrating its 20th league title.Tying down club captain Virgil van Dijk to an extra two years in April 2025 was a big feather in the cap and while his final season was not a vintage one, history cannot be rewritten that getting Mohamed Salah to sign on the dotted line was seen as a big tick in the box also at the time.Judging Hughes after losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid would also be harsh given the club tried to make the full-back one of the best-paid players in the Premier League and that unenviable situation was something he had foist upon him when he arrived.But allowing 27-year-old France international centre-back Ibrahima Konate to depart for nothing - to Real Madrid no less - cannot be seen as thrifty or astute, particularly given that Salah's astronomical wages are no longer on the books at Anfield.The gap between the pay demands of Konate and what was offered were said to have been considerable but the squad are now short of a top-class defender as a result, with all the talk insisting that rookie defenders Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet will be entrusted to step up. That is a risk.The decision to allow Andy Robertson to walk away, to Tottenham Hotspur, as a free agent also represents a gamble given his influence behind the scenes and quality as competition for Milos Kerkez.The sophomore season of Slot, of course, will come under intense scrutiny, but there is hope that the Dutchman will be remembered only for the remarkable scenes of April and May last year, when his side romped home to the title before lifting it in front of fans for the first time in 35 years.Slot's successor, Andoni Iraola, is inescapably tied to Hughes given their links at Bournemouth and the speed at which the Catalan coach was recruited following the previous coach's sacking speaks volumes towards the sporting director's confidence in the new man taking the club forward.

That will be another measurement of Hughes' acumen.But it is this summer window that will shape how fans view Hughes' time at the club in the years to come. Last year's history-making outlay at around £440m is yet to yield real results, but there is a feeling behind the scenes that players like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak are simply too good not to showcase their true quality at some stage.But right now, less than a month before the pre-season tour begins in the United States, Liverpool's is unquestionably an incomplete squad.