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Al-Hilal have lured Richard Hughes away, and difficult challenges now await whoever takes over from him at Liverpool.

A demanding job lies ahead for the club’s next decision-maker.

Liverpool are dealing with a sensitive situation away from the pitch. Sporting director Richard Hughes has confirmed that he is leaving to join Saudi club Al-Hilal, and the Reds’ hierarchy must now identify the person who will step into one of the most powerful roles shaping the club’s future.

For the fifth time since 2022, Liverpool are in the market for a new sporting director. The club want to complete the appointment quickly, while also safeguarding the stability of their football project and preventing yet another cycle of repeated upheaval in the position.

Hughes took charge in the summer of 2024. He played a major role in the appointments of both Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola, before informing the club earlier this year that he wanted to take on a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.

Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon is leading the process to find Hughes’s replacement, and he is eager to resolve the matter swiftly.

An internal promotion remains under consideration. Liverpool are also assessing the possibility of bringing in somebody from outside Anfield, provided that candidate fully buys into the club’s sporting vision and is prepared to commit for the long term.

So who are the frontrunners for the role? And what difficult issues will confront the new sporting director from the moment he arrives?

Who are the main contenders to replace Hughes?

David Woodfine is among the names being strongly mentioned. He worked as Richard Hughes’s assistant and had previously served as Liverpool’s loan players manager.

With broad knowledge of the club and its internal workings, Woodfine was seen giving Iraola a tour of the AXA Training Centre facilities after the coach arrived in June.

Julian Ward is another name in the frame. He was Liverpool’s sporting director between 2022 and 2023, and played a part in several key deals, including the arrivals of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez.

Ward is now the technical director of Fenway Sports Group, which makes him one of the obvious options for Liverpool’s board. His detailed understanding of the club and the way its football decisions are made only adds weight to his candidacy.

Pedro Marques is another heavily discussed option. He is currently football development director at Fenway Sports Group and previously worked as technical director at Portuguese club Benfica.

Marques was part of the setup that helped bring Enzo Fernandez in for £10 million, before later working as a first-team performance analyst at Manchester City.

Among external candidates, Luis Campos stands out as one of the strongest possibilities. However, the current Paris Saint-Germain sporting director does not appear likely to leave the European champions any time soon.

Whoever replaces Hughes will inherit a sizeable list of major issues. His exit is also not the only shake-up to Liverpool’s recruitment structure, as he has taken two club recruitment officials, Mark Burchill and Craig Mackie, with him to the Middle East.

Can he keep hold of Alisson and Van Dijk?

One of the biggest matters awaiting the new sporting director will be the future of Alisson Becker, with the Brazilian goalkeeper’s Liverpool contract due to expire at the end of the current season.

Juventus pursued Alisson in the summer transfer window, but Liverpool refused to sell their goalkeeper, who still remains the clear first-choice option in the eyes of both club officials and the coaching staff.

Arne Slot also gave him one of the vice-captain roles. The 33-year-old has started all three of Liverpool’s league matches so far, even if he has not yet reached his usual top level.

There are other goalkeeping options at the club, but Giorgi Mamardashvili has not yet produced performances that provide complete confidence. At the same time, Liverpool are waiting for 18-year-old Luka Broegmans to arrive from Genk next summer in a deal that could be worth £30 million.

Even so, very few would regard Broegmans as a goalkeeper ready to take on first-team responsibility immediately.

Seen as one of the defining figures of Liverpool’s recent golden generation, Alisson played a key role in delivering two titles in the Premier League and the Champions League. The next sporting director must therefore take a hugely important decision on whether to try to extend his stay at Anfield by at least one more season.

The situation surrounding Virgil van Dijk is just as urgent, with the captain’s contract also set to run out next summer.

Several senior dressing-room figures have already left, most notably Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson at the end of last season. Liverpool now need experience in the squad more than ever, which means losing both Alisson and Van Dijk in the same transfer window would carry major risk.

Now aged 35, Van Dijk has played every minute of Liverpool’s league campaign so far after returning from the lengthy rest period he was granted following the World Cup.

The Dutch defender may no longer possess quite the same physical power he had in his early years at the club, but he remains, without question, one of Europe’s finest centre-backs.

A number of gifted young defenders are lining up behind him, including Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni, Ivane Ndkoy and Mour Talla Ndiaye. The incoming sporting director may view Van Dijk staying on as the perfect opportunity for those players to learn from one of the best defenders of his generation.

What lies ahead in Liverpool’s midfield?

Arteta may feel Liverpool have “good options” in midfield, but that area could still become one of the most urgent issues facing the next sporting director.

The club did not strengthen midfield during the summer, and Curtis Jones’s move to Inter Milan only reduced the number of options available to the coaching staff.

Trey Nyoni has instead been given greater scope to develop. The 19-year-old impressed during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

With matches coming thick and fast and the demands of multiple competitions increasing, a heavy burden will fall on Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.

An injury to any one of those three could leave the team facing a serious problem in the middle of the season, especially as there is not a great deal of depth behind them.

According to BBC Sport last week, Liverpool had shown interest in Monaco’s Lamine Camara, but the club were not intending to sign a new midfielder during the summer.

That could make this position a priority in the winter window or next summer, especially if talks over a new deal for Mac Allister become complicated. His current contract runs until 2028.

At present, no negotiations are taking place over a fresh contract for the Argentina international. That means his future is another issue Hughes’s successor will need to keep a close eye on in the months ahead.

Liverpool’s attack: plenty of choices

In attack, matters appear more stable. During his spell in charge, Hughes worked to strengthen the forward line with a string of major signings.

Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Victor Munoz and Bradley Barcola all came in, giving Liverpool a wealth of attacking options.

Rio Ngumoha, 18, is also close to agreeing a long-term deal with the club, and competition for places in Liverpool’s front line at Anfield looks intense.

Liverpool also turned down the chance to let Cody Gakpo join Manchester City during the summer window.

The Dutch forward has scored one goal and registered three assists so far this season. That position could still change, though, if Liverpool sign a new winger and receive an attractive financial offer for Gakpo.

The biggest challenge: building a strong relationship with Iraola

Developing a successful working relationship with manager Andoni Iraola may prove to be one of the most important responsibilities facing the new sporting director. Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan tried this summer to underline that the club remained stable, telling BBC Sport: “I would like to make clear that, as a football club, we are in a very healthy position. The leadership from the owners’ side enjoys great stability, and we are looking forward with enthusiasm to next season and beyond.”

But the reality appears rather different. Liverpool’s summer brought sweeping change. The club changed managers, brought in new investors and lost several of their most prominent players, while their sporting director departed a full year earlier than expected. And that was not all. Michael Edwards, the man who had chosen Hughes for the role, stepped down as chief executive of football at Fenway Sports Group.

Hughes had played a central role in the decision to dismiss Slot and appoint Iraola, which leaves the incoming sporting director with a delicate responsibility. He will hold considerable influence over the future of the Spanish coach at the club. When Iraola arrived at Liverpool, he made it clear that he had signed only a two-year deal because he does not want to remain anywhere simply because a contract obliges him to do so. His close relationship with Richard Hughes, built during their time together at Bournemouth, was one of the reasons he took the Liverpool job.

Now that Hughes has gone, the next sporting director must forge a new relationship with Iraola and work alongside him on a long-term plan to bring Liverpool back into the battle for major honours. The task goes well beyond identifying new signings or resolving contract situations. It means restoring stability to the club’s football structure, making firm decisions on the futures of Alisson and Van Dijk, dealing with a possible lack of depth in midfield, preserving balance in attack and, above all, ensuring a strong and well-balanced relationship with Iraola.

So filling the vacancy is only the beginning. Liverpool’s next sporting director faces a genuine examination: shaping the identity of a new chapter in the history of the Reds.