Despite Liverpool making it clear that Arne Slot is a head coach and not a manager, the Dutchman is still left to front questions on transfers.
It may not seem important, but it is a key detail and an indicator of the hierarchy at the club, its structure, and who is responsible for what. The idea behind using the head coach job title is that Slot is responsible for the on-pitch, tactical, man-management and in-game elements of running the team.
‘Team’ is an important word here, as he’s not necessarily responsible for the sporting direction of the club as a whole, even though he’s part of a group that will have a say.
Those wider responsibilities fall on the sporting director, Richard Hughes, whose appointment of Slot in itself was a decision on the club’s philosophy and style of play.
This was also evident when Hughes accompanied Slot in his introductory press conference as Liverpool head coach.
It indicated that there may be more openness and willingness to explain the sporting decisions of the club, including recruitment of key personnel such as the head coach and players, but we have not heard from Hughes since that first presser with Slot.
This becomes an issue when, as has happened numerous times this summer, coach Slot has dismissed questions about transfers as not his responsibility. Not his area.
Journalists covering the club are now aware that discussing recruitment and transfers is not part of Slot’s remit, but given the head coach has been the only figure available to the media, they still have to ask these questions.
Slot saying “no comment” is the best line available at the moment, or rather the only line available.
That should not be the case.
If the club has decided to operate with such a structure and relieve Slot of tricky questions around transfers that he might not be able to answer, then, at least occasionally, the sporting director should be available to the media to give fans a clearer picture of what is going on in this area of the club.
Summer window, happened so fast
With the lack of new signings this summer, a question fans have regularly and understandably asked is what has Hughes actually done since arriving.
The answer includes the most important signing of all: Jurgen Klopp‘s replacement.
He has also done well when it comes to player sales, with some of the deals harking back to those previous sporting director Michael Edwards made during the Klopp era, which in turn funded some of the best incoming transfers the club has ever made.
Sometimes, the job is primarily about choosing who not to sign, and not signing players just for the sake of it. Those kinds of desperate signings or last-minute loan stopgaps never work out, and for Liverpool the academy has always been a much better source of such squad players.
The two new signings that have been made are savvy. Securing the services of one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, Giorgi Mamardashvili, for a future transfer, and completing the signing of long-term target Federico Chiesa for such a low transfer fee is good business.
The glaring hole is that of a No. 6 and the club was unable to sign their top target in this area, Martin Zubimendi.
There is also the issue of the contracts of key players Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold expiring next year, and these players will be free to speak to other clubs from January.
Regardless of anyone’s opinion of whether this summer transfer window has been a success or not, it would be good, and not unreasonable, to expect some kind of explanation as to the thinking behind it.
Fans and media can speculate, either criticising the lack of transfer activity or praising the more measured approach, but it would be good to get clarity from someone at the club.
Given the modern structure at Liverpool and at other clubs across the league, it is not asking too much to expect more from sporting directors when it comes to public-facing media appearances.
European and American influence
The job of the sporting director has evolved in recent years due to the combination of the continental European and American interpretations of the role.
American ownership ideas combined with continental coaching structures have seen the idea of the all-powerful manager disappear, replaced with specialised roles throughout clubs, from the training pitch to the boardroom.
European directors of football and American general managers do similar jobs, even though the detailed specifics of their roles will differ slightly depending on who owns the club and what they require, and expect.
Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group have a background in baseball, so for much of their time in charge at Anfield they have been gradually moving towards the structure seen in American sports.
Maybe the sporting director being a more public, accessible presence is the next step, and Hughes’ presence at Slot’s first presser was an indication that might be the case.
But there has been silence since then. There weren’t even written comments to accompany Chiesa’s signing.
When a club in Europe or the US make a signing, comments from the sporting director are usually the most prominent in the accompanying news release for reporters to use.
I recently wrote an article for the Guardian in which sporting directors and general managers were willing to speak about all kinds of subjects.
They are generally happy to help people understand the ins and outs of their job, and why certain decisions are made.
Hughes himself – a former player who reached the Premier League with Portsmouth – showed during Slot’s introductory press conference that he is media savvy and comfortable answering questions on these subjects.
Part of the job of a sporting director is to communicate with people on a daily basis and maintain relationships across the sport in order to get deals done. This usually means the person in the job would be comfortable communicating with the press and answering questions about their job.
But so far, the combination of Slot’s lack of comment on transfers and Hughes not being put forward to discuss the transfer window, despite him being obviously capable of doing so with minimal fuss, has left room for plenty of speculation and uncertainty.
Hughes speaking to the media wouldn’t end all of that chatter, but it would provide more clarity, especially as Slot is unable to do so.
As Liverpool and other Premier League clubs embrace one side of the sporting director and general manager model, it’s maybe now time for them to be more forthcoming with the media – and provide the explanations behind what has or hasn’t happened.
