Richard Hughes addresses the agents of Liverpool’s stars as Jürgen Klopp shares his bold strategy

Liverpool are entering a new era in more ways than one. The main news is the arrival of Arne Slot to replace Jürgen Klopp, but there are also changes behind the scenes.

These include the arrival of Richard Hughes as sporting director, who was appointed to the role by the returning Michael Edwards. Arriving from Bournemouth, the new man is already busy ahead of a vital summer.

Meanwhile, with Klopp’s reign coming to an end, certain trade secrets are beginning to spill out. Pep Lijnders has made a remarkable statement regarding the 2019 Champions League final.

READ MORE: We came thousands of kilometers to say goodbye to Jürgen Klopp and the Liverpool boss was right

READ MORE: Jürgen Klopp has already approved first transfer target Arne Slot as Liverpool ‘lead the race’

The Liverpool news cycle is no less busy because of the lack of games. Here’s the Media Digest with everything you might have missed.

Richard Hughes contacts the agents of Liverpool stars

Richard Hughes is believed to have been in the loop at Liverpool for some time, with Bournemouth’s full agreement. He was part of the process when Slot was selected as the new manager, for example.

However, it’s only recently that it’s really caught on. And it seems Liverpool’s new sporting director wasted no time at all.

As revealed on the Blood Red podcast, Hughes has already started courting the agents of Liverpool’s current stars. It could be especially important ahead of a summer of significant contract decisions.

“The contract situations of Van Dijk, Salah and Trent are obviously huge, aren’t they. But that’s not necessarily Slot’s job to fix that,” Paul Gorst said.

“I think Richard Hughes has already spoken to Liverpool’s players’ agents and kind of introduced himself to what might come in the next couple of weeks.”

The trio of Liverpool’s top earners are all entering the final year of their contracts. Resolving these situations will be right at the top of Hughes’ to-do list.

Pep Lijnders shares Jürgen Klopp’s bold strategy

Not only Klopp is leaving Liverpool, Pep Lijnders is also embarking on a new chapter. Former assistant takes control at Red Bull Salzburg.

But by his account, he has long held significant autonomy at Liverpool. He lifted the lid on Klopp’s extraordinary strategy ahead of the 2019 Champions League final, which ended in success against Tottenham.

“So Jürgen said to me: ‘Pep, we’ve lost seven finals in a row now – you’re planning this,'” Lijnders told The Redmen TV. The assistant then went on to enlist Benfica B in mimicking Spurs in a sort of sec. running the device.

It is unlikely that Klopp has truly ceded all control to Lijnders, but the collaborative approach has certainly paid off and the ‘final curse’ has certainly been lifted. Liverpool would go on to become “champions of all” the following year, and would later add domestic cups to the manager’s cabinet.