Opinion: Richard Hughes has had a shocker, £560k-a-week of talent is out from Liverpool’s first team

Writer Alex Caple argues that former Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes made a major mistake by committing lucrative contract extensions to midfielders Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. Hughes, who recently departed Liverpool to join Al-Hilal, signed off on deals that see the duo earn a reported combined £560,000 per week, despite neither player currently fitting into Liverpool's strongest starting lineup.

According to Caple, manager Andoni Iraola's best midfield currently consists of Trey Nyoni, Alexis Mac Allister, and Florian Wirtz. The article suggests that committing massive financial resources to Gravenberch and Szoboszlai could complicate contract negotiations with Mac Allister and create roster dilemmas for new sporting director Julian Ward.