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Al Hilal has appointed Simon Francis to lead its transfer operations, marking a significant push by the Saudi Pro League club to professionalize its recruitment infrastructure. Francis, who departed Bournemouth on May 1, 2026, has already begun working at the club in a technical capacity as of late June 2026.
If you follow English football closely, the name rings a bell. Francis spent time at Bournemouth as first-team technical director, a role he took on in the summer of 2024 after succeeding Richard Hughes in that position. Now Al Hilal wants Hughes too.
From the south coast to Saudi Arabia
Reports from late June 2026 indicate Al Hilal is actively pursuing Hughes, currently serving as Liverpool’s sporting director. The catch: Hughes is contracted at Liverpool through the summer of 2027, meaning any move would realistically happen after next year’s summer transfer window closes.
As early as May 2026, Al Hilal had emerged as a leading candidate for Francis’s services, though other unnamed clubs were also in the picture at that point. Francis ultimately chose the Saudi route, and the club now appears to be using his arrival as the first piece of a larger restructuring of how it identifies and signs players.
What Al Hilal is actually building
The reported interest in Hughes would give Al Hilal a two-tier football leadership structure modeled more closely on how elite European clubs are organized.
It is worth noting that as of early July 2026, neither Al Hilal, Bournemouth, nor Liverpool had officially confirmed any of these arrangements. Francis’s role at Al Hilal has not been formally announced by the club, and Hughes’s reported pursuit remains at the interest stage rather than an agreed deal.
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