Richard Hughes is history at Anfield. The sporting director who was involved in the club’s most expensive shopping spree on the transfer market, the sporting director who did not land Marc Guehi – nor did he get Ibrahima Konaté to extend. The Times believes the two slips at the centre-back position are proving to be a stroke of genius.
Times joiurnalist Paul Joyce believes Hughes’ move in the centre-back position should be celebrated, not ridiculed.
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At the turn of the year, Liverpool opted to sign Jeremy Jacquet for £55 million plus an additional £5 million, rather than go back to Guehi. Jacquet already looks to be a bargain at that price, as the new France international dominates Premier League attackers early in his tenure at Anfield.
Joyce reports Liverpool are firm in their belief that Jacquet will quickly develop into a better player than Guehi, and the Reds will not have to pay a huge salary either.
“It should be remembered now that not only did the transfer fee [for Jacquet] raise eyebrows, given that he had only played 33 senior games for Rennes, but that the deal in January last year came at a time when City had signed Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace for an initial £20 million just months before his contract was due to expire.”
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Liverpool had tried to sign Guéhi for £35m at the end of the summer transfer window (after initially prioritising a deal for Giovanni Leoni from Parma, another young centre-back, for £26m), only for the deal to collapse on Deadliine Day.
“Instead, one could argue that Hughes was actually thinking long-term at a time when he knew he was already leaving the club. Although Guéhi represented an option given his Premier League experience, City also offered him around £300,000 a week in wages. Over the course of a 51/2-year contract, the total package would be £100 million for someone who will be 31 years old when his contract expires,” Joyce writes.
