Liverpool lock down BRIGHT future with Richard Hughes's BEST move to date

It’s been a slow start to life at Liverpool for new sporting director Richard Hughes but his latest move is undoubtedly a massive win.

The summer came and went without any truly massive transfers for Liverpool. They did bring in Federico Chiesa from Juventus in what could be a brilliant signing, but the jury is still out there.

Similarly, Giorgi Mamardashvili could be the perfect Alisson Becker replacement but until he's in Red, we don't really know. Two risky deals but deals that could pay off big time down the line.

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That brought about questions over Richard Hughes. He arrived this summer as Liverpool's new sporting director, replacing Jorg Schmadtke. The lack of signings, coupled with the failure to land Martin Zubimendi, didn't look good.

But his latest move is unquestionably one that sets Liverpool up for a bright future. The Reds confirmed on Monday that Jarell Quansah has signed a new long-term contract at Anfield and that ties down one of the best up-and-coming centre-backs around.

And there could be more to come. The Times's Paul Joyce reports that Ibrahima Konaté is set for a new contract, too.

Those contracts would tie up Liverpool's future at centre-back. Two players who will hopefully be at the heart of the defence for years to come. They're the partnership we're all hoping for post-Virgil van Dijk, after all.

Bigger contract questions

This is undoubtedly Hughes's best move to date but there are bigger plans afoot. Liverpool must sort out the contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk. The trio are arguably the most important players at the club, along with Alisson Becker, and losing any of them on a free transfer next year will feel like a massive failure.

Losing two would be a disaster. Losing all three, as is currently the case, would be unlike anything we've ever seen at Liverpool.

The deals for Quansah and Konaté are cause for celebration. But we can't be sitting here in six months times and still viewing them as Hughes's best.