£40m Richard Hughes deal has FINALLY arrived

It’s fair to say Liverpool’s summer transfer campaign has been far from a total success.

The Reds’ sporting director Richard Hughes spent £450m on new players for the Premier League champions - including British record deals for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

Liverpool are still waiting to see that duo at their consistent best -while other big-money signings like Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni have been so far hampered by injury.

In fact it could be argued that the only surefire “hit” from the club’s summer arrivals has been Hugo Ekitike.

The Frenchman has already reached double figures for his goals this season and looks a good bet to finally end Mohamed Salah’s reign as the Reds’ top scorer in every season since he joined the club.

£40m Milos Kerkez struggled early in Liverpool career

Not everyone has had the fortune of hitting the ground running like £69m Ekitike. Indeed another recent signing in the shape of Milos Kerkez foundered in the early part of his Liverpool career.

Signed for £40m from Richard Hughes’ former club Bournemouth, the 22-year-old Hungary international has been under considerable pressure right from the off.

Replacing a club legend like Andy Robertson was never going to be easy and Kerkez really struggled with that transition. The left-back’s game was littered with individual errors - and Slot has even seen fit to pull him out of the firing line on occasions.

But Liverpool’s patience with Kerkez is finally beginning to pay off - with the former AC Milan youngster reaching new heights in the weekend win against Brighton.

Kerkez hits new heights versus Brighton

It was arguably Kerkez’s best performance in a red shirt thus far and should give him great confidence going forward.

Kerkez looks to be benefitting from Arne Slot’s recent change to a four-man midfield - finding it easier to get high and wide in order to contribute on the ball.

Richard Hughes has staked a lot on getting this Kerkez transfer right. It’s the second time he’s signed the defender in his career having overseen his move to Bournemouth too.

Let's afford Kerkez a settling-in period

But his judgement now looks sound after an initially difficult settling-in period at Anfield.

We must not forget either that it took Robertson a while to find his bearings when he signed from Hull back in 2017. Kerkez has earned the right to be afforded some breathing space in the early part of his Reds’ career.

The £40m man looks to have turned a corner in the last few days - much like Liverpool have overall. Long may it continue.

🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range

👉🏻 A new centre-back is COMING to Liverpool

👉🏻 Liverpool finally replace Trent Alexander-Arnold with brilliant playmaker

👉🏻 Centre-back confirms he's ready to join Liverpool