Incoming head coach Arne Slot will not have authority on transfers at Liverpool

Barring any shock changes, Dutch manager Arne Slot will become the successor to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. The Reds are undoubtedly in for a busy summer as Slot looks to acclimate to his move to England, but that's not all.

On June 1st, Richard Hughes will leave his role as technical director at AFC Bournemouth and join Liverpool as their newest sporting director. Hughes will officially replace Jorg Schmadtke, who left the club in January.

This management change comes as part of Michael Edwards being named Chief Executive Officer of Football earlier this year by Fenway Sports Group. Edwards initially was a sporting director himself with Liverpool before departing in 2022.

So, what does this all mean for the incoming Arne Slot? It's not a secret that managers often have some level of influence on transfers in and out of the club.

With a new sporting personnel structure for Liverpool, Slot will reportedly not have the authority to lead the push for certain signings. Jonathan Northcraft of The Times reports that the expectation is that Arne Slot will internally be seen as head first-team coach, with Hughes being the mastermind behind recruitment and transfers, in conjunction with the rest of the recruitment team.

Of course, with Slot agreeing to become Liverpool's next manager (head coach), he will know his limitations on transfer influence, but at the end of the day, every coach will have players they admire and want to sign.

It's becoming a modern practice in professional football to move towards a coach-director relationship and an idea that could eventually become more prominent in English football.

Everyone will have their preferences on this method, but for Arne Slot, who will be inheriting a massive task ahead of him, it might be best for him to be allowed to focus solely on best preparing his players.

Conversely, Richard Hughes is no stranger to working closely with a manager, as he spent most of the 2010s working alongside manager Eddie Howe at AFC Bournemouth.