'This is football' - Bournemouth boss on whether Richard Hughes will poach Cherries players for Liverpool

A new era is unfolding at Anfield as Liverpool are preparing to replace the iconic Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season. The departure of the boss isn't the only major change going on at the club either as the return of Liverpool's former sporting director Michael Edwards has sparked a lot of excitement.

The 44-year-old has made an Anfield comeback in a new role as CEO of Football for Fenway Sports Group. One of his first major decisions was to assign a new sporting director in Richard Hughes, who will leave his role as technical director for Bournemouth and join the Reds this June.

The former Scotland international said he is 'incredibly proud' to have been given the opportunity at Liverpool and is 'fully aware of the expectations and responsibilities that come with taking this position'.

If recent rumours are anything to go by, Liverpool are in for a big summer transfer window and Hughes will be rolling up his sleeves ready to get stuck in. Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola was recently asked whether he thought Hughes would look to take some of the Cherries' players with him to Anfield, a question he couldn't answer.

"I don’t know what they will do," the Spaniard admitted to the Bournemouth Echo. "I think as long as they meet the requirements the club sets and the offer is good for everyone, this is football.

"I don’t know what is going to happen in the market. It is too early to talk about this. The summer is still far away. We have a lot of things to play for. But whenever the market is open, there are always chances for these things to happen, yes."

Liverpool have been linked with Bournemouth in the past as they have previously shown interest in the likes of Lloyd Kelly and summer signing Alex Scott. Dominic Solanke also joined the Cherries in 2019 and is enjoying a blistering season in front of goal, with 15 on the tally so far — more than the likes of Bukayo Saka and Son Heung-min.