Saturday 1 June is Arne Slott's first day on the job as head coach at Liverpool, with Julian Ward and Pedro Marques also set to start their roles at Liverpool FC and the FSG system on the same day.
The person who should be well into his work is sporting director Richard Hughes, who has apparently begun summer preparations in terms of buying players and renewing contracts for those who have been at the club before.
Liverpool Echo He writes that the man brought in from Bournemouth contacted the agents of several Liverpool players to get to know each other and hopefully build a good working relationship.
Three agents become important
In particular, it may be important to have a good relationship with the agents of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The star trio will have just one year left on their contracts in a month, and it will be important for Liverpool to reach a solution as soon as possible.
Alexander-Arnold is only 25 years old and is likely to be offered a long-term contract. The question is whether Salah and Van Dijk expect the same, as they are both over 30 years old. Salah will turn 32 this summer, while Van Dijk will be 33. One possibility would be to allow contracts extending through the summer of 2025 to run their course, and then conduct a new evaluation when closer.
The local newspaper also wrote that Hughes was pivotal in working to appoint Slott as head coach, so it appears the new sporting director is excited about the jersey long before the transfer window begins.
In addition to new contracts and potential player buyouts, Hughes may have to negotiate the other way, too. Caoimhin Kelleher, Nat Phillips and Sepp van den Berg are among the players who could be the subject of offers from other clubs over the summer.
Fortunately, Hughes is not alone in this position. Former Liverpool loan manager, David Woodfine, is now assistant sporting director, while Ward, Marquez and sporting director Michael Edwards are other good supporters.
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