Al Hilal appoint ex-Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes to lead overhaul | OneFootball

Al Hilal have appointed former Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes to lead a revamped football operation. According to Goal.com, the Scot has arrived in Riyadh and officially started work.

The board, chaired by Prince Nawaf bin Saad, completed the procedures to secure his appointment, handing him the sporting director brief after years in English football.

Hughes brings extensive know-how from recruitment and scouting to squad planning, having most recently held the sporting director role at Liverpool.

His hiring forms part of a broader drive towards an integrated system that is not based solely on marquee signings. The plan sets out long-term methods to identify talent, shape deals and develop teams across the club.

Al Hilal also detailed the team around Hughes. Simon Francis becomes technical director of football and Mark Birtchell recruitment director.

Craig Mackie is appointed director of scouting, Harry Arter first technical scout, and Abdulhakim Al-Tuwaijri technical director of the youth categories.

The blend of European expertise and national talent is intended to professionalise operations and sustain elite competition in the years ahead. With Hughes now in post, supporters expect his experience to help shape a project capable of opening a new chapter in the club’s history.

Source: Goal.com

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