Two key Liverpool executives, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, are seen as central to the Mohamed Salah crisis, facing backlash over transfers and decisions.
At the heart of the storm currently hitting Liverpool, Mohamed Salah is not alone in the spotlight, but two names stand out whose presence forms the core of the real crisis within the club: Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes.
The duo who returned to lead the sports project during the past two years are now under fire, with growing public anger towards the contracting policies, the failures of the summer window, and the huge deals that did not provide the expected addition.
A crisis is brewing that threatens to end the era of one of Liverpool's greatest players. Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian king who has scored over 200 Premier League goals, dropped a bombshell after the disappointing 3-3 draw against Leeds United, accusing the club of "throwing him under the bus" and making him a scapegoat for the team's failure.
According to reports from The Athletic and Sky Sports, Salah said in a post-match interview: "My relationship with Slot is completely broken, and someone doesn't want me here," suggesting that the upcoming Brighton match could be his last for the Reds. This statement came after he was left out of the starting lineup for three consecutive matches, despite having his temporary contract extended until 2027 in April 2025, as reported by Liverpool's official website.
But behind this public drama between Salah and coach Arne Sloat , two men are pulling the strings: Richard Hughes, the sporting director, and Michael Edwards, the chief football officer at Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
According to analyses by This Is Anfield and CaughtOffside, these two form the "power center" at Anfield and bear significant responsibility for the current tensions, prioritizing a purely commercial approach over internal harmony and the club's historical legacy. The disastrous transfer window of last summer, which saw record spending of nearly $903 million, only added fuel to the fire, leading to a "stunning collapse" of the squad and a loss of confidence in Sloth, as reported by ESPN and the Liverpool Echo.
The firebrand
Richard Hughes , who joined Liverpool in June 2024 from Bournemouth, is the daily face of the sporting management, according to his official biography on the club's website. His long-standing friendship with Edwards, dating back to their Portsmouth days, made him an ideal partner in implementing FSG's financial policies.
In the Salah crisis , Hughes took on the role of chief mediator in negotiations with the player's agent, Ramy Abbas, who insists on face-to-face meetings and warns of delays via WhatsApp messages, as revealed by sources inside the Telegraph.
Hughes, who praised Slott as a "great coach" upon his appointment, now fully supports his tactical decisions, including dropping Salah against Inter Milan in the Champions League to send a firm message against "player power," according to reports from This Is Anfield and CaughtOffside. This decision, made in consultation with FSG, is seen as a move to minimize distractions ahead of a crucial match, but it also reflects the internal tension Hughes is managing.
However, Hughes is heavily criticized for delaying previous negotiations in 2022, which dragged on for months due to performance data reviews, sowing seeds of doubt in Salah's mind, as reported by The Athletic. In emergency meetings at the AXA training center, Hughes is trying to "clear the air" between Salah and Slot, but faces a difficult choice: keep Salah or Slot, according to insider reports at Liverpool.com. This pressure comes amid concerns that the crisis could affect January signings, such as Marc Gueye and Antoine Simeone, who might be hesitant to join a club mired in turmoil, as reported by Sky Sports.
The numbers man who built the empire:
Michael Edwards , who returned to the club in 2024 after leaving in 2022, is the "numbers man" who built Liverpool's success in the Jürgen Klopp era, according to his BBC Sport biography. His signing of Salah in 2017 for $46.2 million was a stroke of genius, but he now sees the player as an "investment" that must be managed financially.
Edwards, who oversees contracts, backed Salah's extension into 2025 based on his numbers (0.77 goals per 90 minutes), but he supports Slot in the current crisis, considering Salah's statements a threat to the manager's authority, as reported by CaughtOffside.
With Hughes, Edwards is considering selling Salah in January 2026, particularly to Saudi clubs such as Al-Hilal or Al-Nassr, to recoup a large investment and fund new deals, according to reports from The Mirror and Goal.com.
His history of removing leaders like Jordan Henderson against Klopp's wishes reflects his business approach, which sees Salah's poor form this season as a selling opportunity, as reported by The Athletic.
Edwards, who was behind the appointment of Slaught and Hughes, is now holding secret meetings with FSG to assess the situation, amid fears of losing the dressing room, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Summer deals: A financial disaster behind the crisis?
Hughes and Edwards oversaw the summer 2025 window, which saw record spending of nearly $902.8 million, but it turned into a "disaster" due to the merger failure, as described by ESPN and Transfermarkt.
The most notable example is Alexander Isak from Newcastle for $158.8 million, who spent most of his time on the bench and is considered the "worst" in ESPN's ranking of bad deals, prompting criticism about the incompatibility with the slot system.
Florian Wirtz, signed for $147.4 million, was described as a "questionable decision," as he failed to deliver the expected impact in the attacking midfield and contributed to the team's difficulty in scoring goals, according to Goal.com's analysis.
Other signings, such as Hugo Ekiteke (around $100 million) and Giorgi Mamardashvili ($31.8 million), added to the spending that exceeded $567 million, but the team failed to "cohere," with criticism focusing on the selection of players ill-suited to the team's style, as reported by The Guardian. These signings contributed to the team's "astonishing collapse," with players like Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez wanting to leave, leaving Salah feeling like a scapegoat for the management's failures, according to The Athletic.
Why are they considered a major obstacle?
Hughes and Edwards represent the tension between commerce and emotion at Liverpool. Their rigid approach focuses on "maximizing value," making extending Salah's contract financially unattractive despite his legacy, and they are accused of using keeping him on the bench to frustrate him and sell him for a huge profit, as CaughtOffside reported, but there is no concrete evidence of this approach.
The failure of summer signings has increased the pressure, and their support for Slotto is deepening the rift, with the threat of a collapse of key players like Van Dijk, whose contract is nearing its end, according to Liverpool.com. Fans are demanding a more balanced approach, but FSG are backing them as "window winners," making a solution before January even more difficult, as Sky Sports reports.
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