Richard Hughes is wasting €65m trying to replace beloved Liverpool star

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has come under increased scrutiny over the last 12 months.

Heralded as the greatest exec in the land last year Hughes oversaw contract renewals for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

And in the summer transfer window after Arne Slot delivered the 2024/25 Premier League title Hughes constructed what was supposed to be a super squad.

In came Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak on British record deals. Hefty fees were also paid for Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Giovanni Leoni and Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Richard Hughes is still spending money

Hughes spent around £450m in that window - albeit with plenty coming back through sales including Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quasah, Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

That spending spree has been followed up by yet MORE record-breaking deals. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz were onboarded earlier this summer with £123m going on Bradley Barcola.

There remains the possibility of Liverpool landing another winger before the window closes on Tuesday - with goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans also signing for €35m for 2027 - but the Reds have long been throwing good money after bad.

Barely any of Hughes’ all-star purchases have worked out and the contract renewal for Salah went up in smoke. He will be heading off to Al-Hilal a richer man but his reputation around Merseyside will be ruined.

Richard Hughes hasn't even replaced Caoimhin Kelleher properly

And the transfer business conducted in one position in particular sums up what’s gone wrong for the Reds and Hughes over the course of the last year or so.

With a contract expiring in 2026 Caoimhin Kelleher was SOLD to Brentford in 2025 for a fee of only £12.5m.

Since then the Irishman has established himself as a first-choice goalkeeper of considerable renown - delivering on the potential he showed at Anfield as a homegrown player.

Liverpool fans would have loved Kelleher to stick around and stake a claim to become Alisson Becker’s natural successor - with the Brazilian out of contract in 2027.

But Hughes instead threw an initial €30m at Valencia for Mamardashvili - who has not lived up to his billing since his arrival.

€30m on Mamardashvili, another €35m on Brughmans

The Georgian, 25, was earmarked as Alisson’s replacement instead of Kelleher - a crowd favourite who could not get the same guarantees.

Given Mamardashvili’s failures in his appearances thus far however a deal has now been struck to bring in the Belgian teenager Brughmans from Gent.

It means that Hughes has spent around €65m on replacing a beloved star who really didn’t need replacing. All Kelleher needed was a new contract and a guaranteed pathway.

He could not get that - even in light of Alisson’s frequent injury trouble and dwindling save percentage.

And now the gamble on Mamardashvili has backfired with the player reportedly looking to move on with Nottingham Forest interested.

Another untested teenager will be coming to the club with the 18-year-old Belgian youth international set to be thrust in at the deep end from the get-go.

This was a disaster that could have been avoided had Hughes simply had the nous to do the right thing in the first place.

Instead the Kelleher - Mamardashvili - Brughmans deal becomes another example of a once financially prudent club spurting money all over the place with little to know guarantee of a return.