Why Julian Ward must avoid repeating Richard Hughes mistake

Richard Hughes’ legacy at Anfield is still unclear. The Scot’s historic reign as sporting director is still being judged.

Despite overseeing the Reds’ 20th league title win, Hughes is a divisive figure at Liverpool with many uncertain exactly how he will be remembered.

Sealing three deals at over £100 million and breaking the British transfer record twice in one window earned the executive the nickname ‘Big Moves Hughes’ but it does feel as though the club may have taken a step backwards under his oversight.

From competing on all fronts in his first season to barely qualifying for Champions League football in his second, it is clear that Hughes made some mistakes.

Julian Ward to continue Hughes’ mistake

One of the biggest mistakes in Hughes’ time was the sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen.

The Englishman had fallen out of favour with Arne Slot at the time, so an exit did make some sense, but a hefty buy back clause inserted in the deal could see new sporting director Julian Ward amplify Hughes’ mistake.

Liverpool have the option to bring Quansah back to Merseyside for a fee of around €70 million (~£60m) in the summer of 2027.

On the surface this looks like a positive, with the 23-year-old consistently performing well in Germany, but the option is causing the Reds to develop tunnel vision.

Ronald Araujo has been one of the club’s best performers under Andoni Iraola, and Liverpool have the option to make his loan move permanent in the summer for €55 million (~£47m).

As it stands it feels like the Reds are more likely to trigger their option on Quansah than they are on Araujo, but that could be a massive mistake.

The Englishman is five years younger than Araujo, but there is little guarantee that his performance in the Bundesliga will translate to success back in England.

The Uruguayan has, so far, been a proven star in English football, quickly establishing himself as a must-start under Iraola and looking increasingly confident in Liverpool’s set up.

Quansah’s age is an obvious positive, as is his homegrown status, but Araujo is a proven performer and it would be a huge risk for the Reds to spend more on a player who may not perform as well.

Ward should stick to what he knows works and sign Araujo not Quansah next summer.