News about Richard Hughes

Labour's attempts to blame the Tories for the dire debt outlook were slapped down by the fiscal watchdog yesterday. The Office for Budget Responsibility warned Sir Keir Starmer 's Government that simply hiking taxes would not fix the public finances. In a new forecast, the OBR said debt was on course to 'blow up' as it balloons to a staggering 274 per cent of the size of the economy over the next 50 years. An ageing population is expected to drive the increase by pushing up spending on the health service and pensions - while climate change is also a factor. Unexpected global shocks comparable to the Covid-19 pandemic could lift the debt even further, to more than 300 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2074, the report warned.

LEWIS STEELE: Liverpool have completed the first signing of the Arne Slot era by confirming a £29million deal to sign Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. The 23-year-old, who excelled in the European Championship as Georgia played at their first-ever major tournament, will stay in Spain for this campaign and then join the Reds ahead of next season. It is seen as succession planning for the eventual exit of Brazil No 1 Alisson Becker - who is in no rush to leave and turned down interest from Saudi Arabia this summer - and new sporting director Richard Hughes is understood to see this as a proactive move.

Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher has put forward a theory as to why his old club have not yet signed any new players this summer. Liverpool are the only Premier League club yet to make a signing since the end of the 2023-24 season. However, they have hired a new manager, with Arne Slot replacing Jurgen Klopp on June 1. Slot's appointment coincided with Richard Hughes arriving as sporting director, after Michael Edwards returned to Anfield as chief executive of football in March.

EXCLUSIVE BY DOMINIC KING: Where else to start a discussion with an 18-year-old in August than results week? There were no exams for Billy Loughnane this summer but he wants to recall his big successes in the classroom. 'All my friends are very clever, they've done their A-levels and are off to university,' says the young man whose verve and style in the saddle have been lighting up Britain's racetracks. 'I passed my GCSEs. I had to! My mum told me if I didn't pass, I wasn't getting my apprentice licence. So I made sure I passed. English, maths, the sciences and then my four options.'

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has hit back at those criticising his team for making zero additions this summer - and says it is a myth that signing new players guarantees the squad will become stronger. The Reds are the only club in Europe's top five leagues yet to make a signing this transfer window and the club, including new sporting director Richard Hughes, have come under scrutiny from fans. Frustration was heightened on Monday when top target Martin Zubimendi, the Spanish defensive midfielder who excelled in the European Championship final, went back on his word and opted to decline Liverpool's offer. He remained at boyhood club Real Sociedad.

LEWIS STEELE: Last season, Manchester City played four Premier League games without Rodri - and they lost three of those on their way to winning the Premier League. Of the 34 they played with their Spanish midfielder, they lost a big, fat zero. Based on the statistics, if he had missed one more game, Pep Guardiola 's men might have dropped the two points that separated them and Arsenal in the fight for supremacy.

Liverpool  are pushing hard to convince European Championship winner Martin Zubimendi to join the club - but the Reds are fighting against an intense charm offensive from top executives at Real Sociedad. It emerged on Wednesday that Zubimendi, the 25-year-old defensive midfielder, had been earmarked as a top target for Arne Slot and new sporting director Richard Hughes to improve the No 6 position at Liverpool. Zubimendi has a release clause of €60million (£51.6m) and, while some close to the Spanish club have admitted they are resigned to losing the player this summer, it is believed he is yet to make a final decision on whether to depart his boyhood team.

LEWIS STEELE: Liverpool have a strong interest in signing Real Sociedad defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi - and the player now faces a big decision over whether to leave his boyhood club or not. The 25-year-old put in a star performance in the European Championship final for winners Spain when Manchester City's Ballon d'Or contender Rodri went off injured at half-time against England. Liverpool are yet to make a first-team signing under head coach Arne Slot and new sporting director Richard Hughes - and both have insisted on going for quality over quantity. Slot last week insisted there is a 'high bar' for additions.

LEWIS STEELE IN SOUTH CAROLINA: Arne Slot has doubled down that it is 'not so easy' to find a player good enough to sign for Liverpool - but the Dutch head coach insists the club are working hard to end their record as the only Premier League club yet to make an addition this transfer window. Slot's team looked excellent in their three-leg pre-season tour of America - beating Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United - but fans back home have bemoaned the lack of transfer activity this summer. The former Feyenoord boss says he and new sporting director Richard Hughes are targeting quality over quantity. Speaking to British newspaper journalists in South Carolina, Slot was bombarded with questions over transfers and unsolved contract talks.

LEWIS STEELE IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA: Liverpool fly home from the United States straight after the Manchester United game on Saturday and will arrive back on Merseyside with big decisions to make on the futures of several fringe players. There are a number of youngsters - returning loanees or ones stepping up from the academy ranks - who have uncertain short-term futures and new transfer chief Richard Hughes has fielded a large number of calls trying to take them on loan or permanent. Red Bull Salzburg are pushing hard for talented midfielder Bobby Clark, who had a breakthrough season last term and starred in the Carabao Cup final victory. The Austrian club holds firm interest alongside several other clubs.

Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan has claimed that Jurgen Klopp 's departure has 'provided an opportunity for a reset' as they look ahead to their first season under Arne Slot . The Reds have made a number of changes to personnel off the pitch, with the likes of Michael Edwards and Julian Ward returning in more senior roles. While Richard Hughes has begun as the club's new sporting director, working with Slot to improve the playing staff. That point has been a source of contention for some Liverpool fans, with the Anfield club being the only Premier League outfit yet to make an addition to their roster this summer.

Alexander-Arnold (right), who is Liverpool's vice captain, is entering the final year of his contract with the Reds, with it unclear how far along potential negotiaitons the club and player are. Reports have surfaced in recent days of Real Madrid being interested in signing the defender as the latest piece of the jigsaw in their mega-team that includes Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jnr and Bellingham (left). And potential deal is likely a way off, but Alexander-Arnold has spent his time off post-Euro 2024 with close friend Bellingham in the United States as their bromance continues to blossom.

FSG's desire to buy a second football club has been made abundantly clear as their legal team are said to be leading discussions with the club. It comes after the DNCG, the organisation responsible for monitoring the accounts of professional football clubs in France, downgraded Bordeaux to National 1 on Tuesday. If the deal goes through with the French side's owner, Gerard Lopez, then FSG's chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, will oversee the appointment of a football operations team, The Times reports. Lopez was said to have 'expected' their National 1 downgrade and presented the idea of selling the club in a hearing to the financial watchdog of French football.

Just like much of the country, there is a new man in office at Liverpool - but although the overall tone of Arne Slot's first speech as Liverpool head coach on Friday saw him vow to build on Jurgen Klopp's ideologies, the Dutchman admitted he is 'not a clone' of his predecessor. Slot faced the media for the first time since his move from Feyenoord and was flanked by fellow new face Richard Hughes, the sporting director, and shot down suggestions he had trepidation about filling the sizable shoes of Klopp. Asked about this, he said: 'Not at all. You can look at it both ways. They are big shoes to fill but you can look at it as inheriting a squad and a team which has a winning culture.' 

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes had to step in to prevent Arne Slot from revealing the names of two incoming signings.  The new Liverpool manager faced the media for the first time since taking over from Jurgen Klopp on Friday morning. Slot has the daunting challenge of following inn the footsteps of legendary manager Jurgen Klopp and the club are ready to back him in the market in order to do so.

LEWIS STEELE: Arne Slot has spent his first few weeks as Liverpool head coach by studying not just matches but training sessions to get a feel for the playing style and culture of his new team after replacing Jurgen Klopp. Slot replaced the legendary German on a three-year deal from Feyenoord, where he won a Eredivisie league title and Dutch Cup, and officially started work as Liverpool head coach on June 1. He spoke publicly for the first time on Wednesday afternoon and said he has already been working hard behind the scenes and is in daily contact with fellow newcomer Richard Hughes, the sporting director.

Wolfsburg have emerged as early frontrunners for Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg. The 22-year old enjoyed a strong season on loan at Bundesliga side Mainz this year and spoke candidly last week about his desire to leave and continue playing regular first team football. Van den Berg signed for Liverpool from PEC Zwolle in 2019 for £1.4million but after loan spells at Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz, they now value him closer to £20m.

The Liverpool star made 26 appearances in all competitions last season. The 25-year-old played an important role in the Reds 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final to secure a final trophy of Jurgen Klopp's reign as manager. He admitted having held talks with Klopp last summer over his future, before being convinced to stay at the club.

LEWIS STEELE: Liverpool must learn from their bitter rivals when it comes to succeeding in an era that could become a hangover to a legendary boss. But it is a fairly moot comparison. While United are a mess of a club, Liverpool still have the foundations for success. With a complete overhaul at executive level - led by new CEO of Football Michael Edwards, sporting director Richard Hughes, plus hires of Julian Ward and Pedro Marques - the structure is in place for new head coach Slot to prove his methods can work in Rotterdam or anywhere.

LEWIS STEELE: Ward (left) is set to rejoin the club alongside Pedro Marques (right), who is being poached from Benfica and will be appointed as director of football development by the owners. Both hires are set to officially start on June 1. It continues a mass overhaul at Anfield following a spree of departures, most noticeably Jurgen Klopp. Former director of football Michael Edwards has returned as CEO of Football at FSG, while Bournemouth transfer guru Richard Hughes is the new sporting director.

Finding a successor for Jurgen Klopp (inset) successor was never going to be an easy task. The German has left big boots to fill and, while taking over the reins at Anfield may be an exciting prospect for any aspiring manager, acquiring a coach to step in to replace Klopp is seemingly proving a difficult task for sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO Michael Edwards.  After the disappointment of missing out on Xabi Alonso, it appears Liverpool have also been dealt a blow in their bid to land Ruben Amorim (second right) as their next manager. The in-demand Sporting Lisbon boss has this week been on a flying visit to London to meet with representatives at West Ham. He arrived in the capital on Monday and spoke with Hammers' executives about a potential deal to take over from David Moyes, according to CNN Portugal. The 39-year-old returned to Portugal on Tuesday, and was met by journalists who pressed him on his future. While he laughed off their questions, Portuguese news outlet A Bola are claiming that West Ham have offered him 'considerably more' than what Liverpool tabled.

LEWIS STEELE: It's the curious case of Mohamed Salah: Super striker, talisman, legend but Liverpool's Egyptian King, on the bench on Sunday, is not getting any younger. Cash in or kick on?  Walking along the banks of the River Thames through Bishop's Park on the way to Fulham on Sunday, one fan was overheard asking, 'Do you reckon they think it's time to cash in on Mo?' The conversation was sparked after Salah was rested - or dropped if you want to take the glass-half-empty view - from Liverpool's XI at Craven Cottage. While it might sound a ludicrous debate, it is a talking point that has stalked pub chats over the course of the season. Soon, the Salah conundrum will have to be an issue addressed by the top brass at Anfield and in Boston, including new sporting director Richard Hughes and returning CEO of Football, Michael Edwards. With just a year left on his deal, the forward's future needs solving.

Peter Johnson, now 62, (pictured) was banned for life from returning to his home town of Alsager, Cheshire by Judge Steven Everett in 2019 after he dished out years of abuse to long-suffering neighbours. His hate campaign included sending poison pen letters accusing those living nearby of terrorism offences, being Nazi sympathisers and even cannibals. But after being freed following a sentence of two years and four months, Johnson began sending 'repugnant' letters to the respected judge, including a mocked up obituary .

With Jurgen Klopp to step down at the end of the season and end his trophy-laden nine-year spell, the Reds are continuing their search for his successor. The process is being spearheaded by incoming sporting director Richard Hughes, who will officially take up his position working under Michael Edwards this summer after being headhunted by FSG's CEO of Football and lured from Bournemouth. Sporting Lisbon's Amorim was widely believed to be the red-hot favourite to succeed Klopp but The Athletic have now poured cold water on the speculation, with a new report instead linking the highly-rated 39-year-old with West Ham. That has sparked fresh talk after the apparent hammer blow for Anfield figures and the likes of De Zerbi, Arne Slot and Gary O'Neil - a close associate of both Hughes and Edwards - have recently been name-dropped on social media.