Sports
Richard Hughes In Advanced Talks For Liverpool Exit
It would be an understatement to suggest the year at Liverpool has been inconsistent in terms of work on and off the pitch, but there could be even more change coming.
The Reds changed strategy last summer to splash the cash on several high-profile signings in a record-breaking transfer window filled with plenty of hope.
There was a plan to transition from one successful squad to another over time, but it hasn’t been a smooth one at all, with Arne Slot only just guiding Liverpool back into the Champions League.
Ultimately, performances cost the manager his job, where he has since been replaced by Andoni Iraola, but the changes don’t stop there.
The summer transfer window this summer will be focused on bringing in players to replace outgoing stars, making more subtle adjustments to those of last year.
While that is certainly the plan, another change behind-the-scenes threatens to impact Liverpool’s ability to consistently improve.
Richard Hughes In Exit Talks
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been in charge of building the squad since he made the move to Anfield from Bournemouth in 2024.
It came after a chaotic churn of sporting directors in years prior that left the Reds in need of some long-term vision to get back to the top.
While the eventual hire of Slot worked out for at least his first season, the recent difficulties in the market brought up questions over Hughes’ future, combined with the fact that his contract only runs until 2027.
With that in mind, Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that the 46-year-old is in advanced talks to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the near future.
It’s stated that he will become the club’s new sporting director, but with the plan to finish up his work at Liverpool for the transfer window before he leaves.
That move will leave the club hierarchy considering their options, as the sporting director’s exit will force them into finding a new hire to take up the role.
For the owners, Fenway Sports Group, there is a wider concern to factor into such a move.
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FSG Liverpool Concern
When it comes to Liverpool’s future under FSG, there may be concerns over the long-term vision that the club currently has in place to get back to the top.
Some of the club’s recent decline can largely be put down to chaos off the field that has translated onto it. After the exit of Michael Edwards in 2022, Liverpool had Julian Ward for one year before he left, and then Jorg Schmadtke for a year before his own exit, and then the arrival of Hughes.
Three new directors in two years, combined with Jurgen Klopp waving farewell to the club, have then directly translated into the lack of alignment.
Contract situations, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk in the past two years have stemmed from a lack of consistency in being able to make key decisions.
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Liverpool are ready to back new manager Andoni Iraola in the summer transfer window
Changes in the backroom have often meant Liverpool are playing catch-up with key decisions, and while the Premier League title victory offered some hope that the club are still at the top, the most recent season sheds some light on the mess that is really underneath.
In losing Hughes, the Reds are now searching for another director, who may have different ideas from the current team in place, which means even more changes.
At a time when the club just made another huge decision, dismissing Slot and bringing in Iraola, signalling yet more change will be a concern.
What Liverpool need right now is a long-term vision. A path back to the top. The next appointment has to be with that in mind.
Sports
Man Utd Open Talks to Sign Fernandes After Ederson, Personal Terms Agreed
Manchester United have now fully turned their attentions to their second signing of the summer after completing an agreement to sign Ederson from Atalanta.
The Red Devils have agreed a £38m deal with the Serie A side to bring the Brazil star to Old Trafford, with the central midfielder now a late addition to the Brazil World Cup squad, which means a deal may be delayed before it is officially signed off and announced.
But with an agreement in place and transfer sorted, United are now moving on to their next targets, and have opened club-to-club talks for their next potential signing.
Man Utd Open Talks to Sign Mateus Fernandes
According to Roundtable, Man Utd have now opened club-to-club talks with West Ham United over a deal to sign Mateus Fernandes.
Fernandes, who has been described as a ‘superstar’, is expected to leave the Hammers this summer after they were relegated to the Championship, but the east London side are currently demanding around £80m to let him leave, despite having paid Southampton around £40m just 12 months prior in the same situation.
United are now ready to push into negotiations, but have absolutely no intention of going near that £80m asking price, and are not interested in taking part in a long saga.
The Portuguese midfielder has already agreed personal terms on a move to Old Trafford, having received glowing references from Bruno Fernandes and Michael Carrick, and now negotiations are expected to accelerate in the coming weeks over a deal.
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Deal There to be Done for Man Utd
While West Ham are playing hardball behind the scenes over a deal for the 21-year-old midfielder, the expectation everywhere is that he will leave the London Stadium before the new season begins.
The £80m price tag is far too high, and West Ham know it too. But with a 15% sell-on clause owed to Southampton from any profit, they want to maximise their returns. Man Utd, however, have been burned far too many times in the past, and INEOS have seemingly learned from mistakes by the previous regime.
A deal will get done eventually, but for how much remains to be seen, and whether it’s Man United who agree terms with West Ham or not is also not guaranteed.
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Sports
Man Utd Preparing Offer to Sign Tottenham Star Cristian Romero
Manchester United are interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur star Cristian Romero and are preparing an offer, according to reliable journalist Gaston Edul.
The Red Devils are expected to have a busy summer transfer window, and have already agreed a deal with Atalanta to sign Brazil star Ederson to strengthen their midfield.
But it has now emerged that alongside their midfield refreshment, United are now looking at strenghtening their defensive options by bringing in a familiar face to Premier League fans.
Man Utd Prepare Romero Offer
Romero, who has been described as ‘world-class’, is expected to leave Spurs this summer after they narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship, despite him missing the end of the season with a knee injury picked up in April.
The centre-back is expected to feature for Argentina at this summer’s World Cup, having been named in their final 26-man squad, but a move away from north London is still expected, with Roberto De Zerbi bringing in Marcos Senesi already, while bids have been made for Jan Paul van Hecke too to replace him.
Romero had been expected to leave the Premier League amid interest from Spain, but now it has been reported that Man Utd have entered the race and are preparing an offer for the 28-year-old.
United have handed Harry Maguire a new one-year contract following his performances in the 2025/26 campaign, while Lisandro Martinez is entering the final 12 months of his deal at Old Trafford too, although they have the option to extend by another year. Matthijs De Ligt, Leny Yoro, and Ayden Heaven are the other centre-back options at the club.
The former Juventus and Atalanta defender would bring great quality, leadership and aggression to the side, and it’s claimed by his father that he has a £50m release clause in his contract after signing a new deal last summer.
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Romero Arrival Would Split Fan Base
There is no doubting that on his day Romero is one of the best defenders in the Premier League, and maybe even world football. But it’s also undeniable that he has major flaws in his game, including his temperament and discipline.
But at the highest level, sometimes that bite and edge is what separates the best, and in a team that is more competitive than Spurs, he may be able to get away from that and show his qualities.
De Ligt isn’t expected to return until after the season has started, having not played since December, and Romero would be an upgrade on Maguire. If this is a deal that can be done for a fee below the regular market value because of a release clause, then it could be a masterstroke. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see fans upset, considering the priorities the squad need in other positions.
Man Utd Open Talks to Sign ‘Superstar’ After Ederson, Personal Terms Agreed
Manchester United are pushing to get another transfer over the line
Sports
Dejan Lovren Slams Jamie Carragher’s Criticism of Mohamed Salah
After just seven goals and assists and a fifth-place finish in the Premier League, Mohamed Salah’s final season at Anfield was always going to invite scrutiny.
That dip in output following years of extraordinary consistency, and a contract situation that rumbled on for far too long, gave pundits plenty of ammunition. But one man who played alongside Salah, has had enough of the criticism.
A Liverpool legend and one of the most prominent voices in football led the charge, publicly accusing Salah of selfishness and suggesting his body language had become a problem. Others in the media followed suit, and as the season wore on, the narrative around one of Anfield’s greatest ever players grew increasingly unforgiving.
Dejan Lovren’s Verdict on Jamie Carragher’s Criticism of Mohamed Salah
Dejan Lovren, who made 141 appearances under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and won the Champions League and Premier League alongside the Egyptian, has spoken out in defence of his close friend, delivering a scathing opinion on those who’ve spoken out.
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Liverpool’s 2025/26 squad has been ranked ahead of the summer transfer window, and many players could face uncertain futures.
As quoted by Goal, Lovren made no attempt to soften his stance over the way Salah has been portrayed, calling Jamie Carragher’s criticism ‘disgusting’. He said :
“The way they treated him this season is not harsh, It’s disgusting. Why didn’t they talk about him like this for the past eight or nine years? Tell me… OK, one season, and then he’s the target again. There are so many other issues.”
Lovren’s view is that Carragher, like many TV pundits, is more interested in the performance than the analysis, and that his comments come with a caveat: he’d never say them to a player’s face.
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Mohamed Salah went public with his frustrations at Liverpool this season, but three others had issues behind the scenes.
“He’s being really heavily criticised. Some pundits do it just to attract attention, maybe because they haven’t succeeded in other areas of their lives, so now they need to perform well… especially Carragher, he says whatever he wants,” Lovren said.
“I always said he should tell him this to his face, say all these things to Mo to his face. He’ll never say that. Because I know he never will, because he never said it to me. He’s talked badly about me too, but he never said that to me anyway. You know, he’s just performing on TV and he gets paid for it, so he needs to perform this way.”
Why Dejan Lovren Blames Arne Slot For Salah’s Exit
When discussing what exactly led to Salah’s departure, the Croatian was confident in saying that the club itself wasn’t the issue, it was one man. Arne Slot.
“I don’t think it’s the management (that pushed Salah to leave). “I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the manager. They didn’t have a good relationship. Let’s put it simply. With Klopp, he had a really good relationship. It wasn’t always perfect, but they knew each other very well, let’s say that too, and they trusted each other, they liked each other, and Mo gave everything on the pitch for Klopp, and Klopp gave him that trust.”
In Lovren’s view, the difference between the Klopp and Slot eras couldn’t be more night and day. The environment Klopp created allowed Salah to flourish in a way that the last 18 months simply didn’t replicate.
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