A closer look at Liverpool's new Sporting Director, Richard Hughes

Liverpool are getting close to rounding out their new look footballing staff as they are set to announce the appointment of Richard Hughes as their new Sporting Director.

This comes on the heels of Fenway Sports Group securing the return of the analytics guru Michael Edwards in a more prominent position within the organization. Hughes, who is leaving the Sporting Director role with Bournemouth, was Edwards' first piece of business.

This now gives Liverpool an established hierarchy within the football setup as the post-Klopp era becomes a little less cloudy with this hiring.

Let's take a look at what Hughes could offer and what his journey through the footballing world has looked like.

Former Player at the highest level

Hughes played for Englsh clubs such as Portsmouth and Bournemouth and even made a handful of caps for the Scotland national team. He played over 100 times in the Premier League as well during his career.

He was largely an unremarkable player, but he played a long time and knows what it takes to relate to players around him and who he tries to secure for the club. He did win the FA Cup as a player while at Portsmouth as well.

Some astute signings in charge at Bournemouth

Hughes has shown an affinity for finding a diamond in the rough that does not cost a fortune. Working with The Cherries, the money was never plentiful so he had to get inventive and do some deep dives to unearth good talent.

Midfielder Ryan Christie, who is in the 96th percentile in successful take-ons amongst all midfielders in the last year, cost a mere £1.5 million.

He turned a £17m profit on Tyrone Mings despite him only playing 23 times in 4 years for The Cherries.

He found Aaron Ramsdale for less than £1m before shipping him years later for around £18.5m. Those are the kinds of moves that Liverpool fans will be excited about. Finding talent without overspending has been a staple for the last decade at Anfield.

Hughes and Edwards will be the most important duo within Liverpool as they lead the club into a new future. Even without a new manager confirmed, Liverpool are already being linked to a whole host of star players across Europe.

If Richard Hughes' strong resume from Bournemouth is any indication, Liverpool should continue seeing the superb signings we have become accustomed to.