Richard Hughes embarrasses EVERYONE with shocking transfer plan | OneFootball

Liverpool are operating on another level to everyone else. Their incredible transfer plan leaves everyone a little embarrassed.

Liverpool earned a lot of criticism last summer. It was Richard Hughes’ first on the job as sporting director but the Reds ended the transfer window with just one addition to the first time.

That was Federico Chiesa - an opportunistic transfer that added depth to the squad. There was real excitement about the deal but there was no question that risk was involved.

There’s a reason why Liverpool got him so cheaply, after all.

The big one that got away was Martin Zubimendi. Liverpool tried to bag him for over £50m but the midfielder rejected them right at the death. And that’s where the criticism started.

The Reds didn’t just fail there but made the controversial decision to sign no replacement target. They just stuck with what they had, leaving the money in their account and avoiding any risk whatsoever.

The theory was simple: only sign players you feel are going to improve the squad. Don’t sign players out of ‘necessity’ or simply because they’re all that’s available.

Heading into the season, Hughes got criticism for that. Lots of it (including from us). And for good reason, admittedly - it looked absolutely mad to just not sign the style of midfielder Arne Slot quite plainly wanted.

And yet, one season later, he’s embarrassed us all.

Liverpool’s genius plan

Well, for starters, Liverpool didn’t need another midfielder. They won the Premier League regardless, showing that this squad is one of the best of the world even without additions.

And so the decision not to just sign ‘anyone’ last summer pays dividends as Liverpool are left with the financial and squad flexibility to make bigger moves in 2025. They’re doing just that, too.

As Kicker explains, they’re expected to break the British transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. It’s impossible to believe that would be happening if Liverpool had dropped £50m on a midfielder last year.

Instead, they’ve got the power to do so. Taking that incredibly risky decision last summer was actually a stroke of genius - and we do owe an apology to Richard Hughes and company.

After all, Liverpool aren’t simply signing Wirtz. They’re also retooling the full-back positions with Jeremie Frimpong and (probably) Milos Kerkez. They’re looking at centre-backs, too, and no one should rule out a striker arriving.

Again, this is only possible because of that incredible decision last summer. Now we’re seeing truly shocking transfers happen at the perfect time, with the perfect players.

It’s incredible stuff.