Richard Hughes FINALLY completes deal Liverpool wanted for nine years | OneFootball

Liverpool have confirmed the arrival of Freddie Woodman on a free transfer. He will be joining up with the Reds upon the expiry of his contract at Preston North End at the end of the month.

Woodman's transfer has come out of nowhere. He's certainly a surprise choice. But if we delve into the history of the club's scouting department, it doesn't seem to be that much of a surprise.

That's because Liverpool have kept an eye on the club's new third choice goalkeeper for a long time. In fact The Chronicle reported that Liverpool wanted to sign Woodman all the way back in January 2016.

Back then Michael Edwards was in charge of the club's scouting department but in the end he could not convince Newcastle to sell.

Now though the situation is completely different. Yet nonetheless, Richard Hughes deserves credit for convincing Woodman to sign for Liverpool.

We are talking about a 28-year-old goalkeeper in the prime of his career. The fact that he's agreed to sit on the bench and be a back-up is a pretty good deal for Liverpool, and another excellent testament of Hughes' ability to recruit the best talent for every role and position.

It's an interesting caveat that Hughes actually signed Woodman once before, bringing him on loan to Bournemouth in 2022, and that was the season the Cherries earned promotion back to the Premier League.

So the pair of them will have fond memories working together and we will hope that will continue at Liverpool as well.

What did not happen for Woodman in 2016, is now happening in 2025. In the end, a move to Anfield was always meant to be.