Richard Hughes completes one final masterclass before Liverpool exit | OneFootball

For the last two and a half years, Richard Hughes has been the main man behind Liverpool's negotiations.

Although the Englishman didn't single-handedly choose to sign the Reds' players over the last couple of years, he was the main person to negotiate on Liverpool's behalf.

During his time at the club, he delivered Liverpool's highest-ever spending transfer window and broke their club-record transfer fee on two occasions.

However, it's now been confirmed that Hughes is about to join Al-Hilal.

Admittedly, things didn't go as smoothly as anyone would've hoped last term but, after Liverpool's 2-0 win against Ipswich on Friday, everything seems to be slowly falling into place.

and, with Bradley Barcola now among their ranks, Liverpool easily have one of the best attacks in the world.

However, it's neither of the £241 million duo that ended up being Hughes' final masterclass as the Reds' sporting director.

Richard Hughes not selling Cody Gakpo is the best thing he could have done for Liverpool

Last season, Cody Gakpo was probably one of the Reds' least-liked attackers.

Every time he got on the ball, it felt like he rarely ever knew what to do with it which, after just recently signing an extension to his contract, was a tad worrying.

However, with Arne Slot gone and Andoni Iraola now in charge, an entirely new version of the Dutchman seems to have emerged.

At the moment, Gakpo has played in less Premier League games than he has goal contributions and, even when played out of position this term, he's been one of Liverpool's best players.

His partnership with Isak is blossoming and, even though many people were confused about why the Reds rejected two £85 million bids from Manchester City and Tottenham at the end of the summer transfer window, they're now eating their words.

The Dutchman is only 27 years old and, with him being able to play as a left-winger or a striker, he's clearly going to be a key part of Iraola's plans this season.

Of course, £85 million is an awful lot of money but, for the impact he's had on Liverpool's team so far this season, it feels like he was definitely worth keeping around.

Liverpool signing Yankuba Minteh as Cody Gakpo's successor would have been a huge mistake

On the face of things, Liverpool trying to sign Yankuba Minteh as Gakpo's successor made a lot of sense.

Not only is Minteh a natural right winger, a position that the Reds severely need to strengthen, but he's also much younger.

This means that, while he's already a more than solid player, there's still plenty of time for him to grow into an even better one.

However, the fact that both players were going to cost a similar amount to one another is what made the deal seem rather sweet.

Gakpo's performances from last term were freshly in the memory of fans and Minteh, well he was an exciting youngster who'd already got a decent chunk of Premier League experience under his belt.

However, the Gambian international's current injury status is what put a lot of people off and, now that Gakpo has found another level to his performances, it feels like there's no way Minteh would've been able to fill the Dutchman's void.

Obviously, this thought process could change in the future and Liverpool may regret not doing the deal but, for now, it feels like the perfect parting gift for Hughes to have left the Reds.

His final masterclass for Liverpool, some may say.