Portsmouth chief eager to unleash newest Fratton Park recruit armed with ambitious remit after lengthy pursuit pays off

And later this month, Richard Hughes will be granted far-reaching powers to transform the Blues’ football operations.

The 34-year-old was initially offered the sporting director role in May – only for a late change of heart to instead see him sign a new Forest Green Rovers deal.

Reeling from that blow and frustrated by stuttering progress with other applicants, Andy Cullen paused the hunt in order to focus entirely on player recruitment during the summer transfer window.

However, Pompey’s interest in Hughes never faded – and likewise neither did Rovers’ director of football.

And, having tendered his resignation in September, he is scheduled to start at Fratton Park this month.

Cullen told The News: ‘We were comfortable holding back after May time and not going for it.

‘We just felt that somebody coming in wouldn’t be making that huge amount of difference in the summer window.

‘So we came back to the process in September and, when you reopen any process, you get new expressions of interest in your job.

‘We asked our recruitment agency to help us and they were able to come back with some candidates and there were discussions – while there was still interest in Rich as well.

‘He was a candidate we were really interested in earlier in the process, then that fell away in May, so we’re just delighted that he continued to hold the interest in the position.

‘Rich is a really, really good fit, he holds all the qualities and credentials we’re looking for in a sporting director and really impressed us, that’s why he was interested in us and we were interested in him.

‘I have always said that whether it was a sporting director, director of football or head of football operations, I wasn’t too hung up on the title, it was more about the role and responsibilities.

‘Rich really impressed us with his experience, not just in recruitment but he has a background in sports science as well, so can add something across different operations.

‘He has a good track record in his previous positions, most recently at Forest Green, and a history of identifying emerging talent, which is important to us.’

Hughes is demonstrating his commitment by relocating his young family to the area.

And, from day one, he will be expected to set about his task with relish, focusing on bolstering all aspects of Pompey behind the scenes.

Cullen added: ‘Rich’s first duty on his first day will be to get a good understanding of the culture of Portsmouth Football Club and meet everybody across the football operations and staff.

‘He will watch some games with Danny as well, so there's a really good fit in understanding what we are looking for in players.

‘It’s really important to get a good feeling and understanding of everything around you, these marginal gains we can make, these are the improvements you can make as a football club across your whole area of football operations.

‘Then, of course, you've got the recruitment aspect as well.

‘So it’s working within that in terms of identifying players which fit, what we need and who will improve us to drive us forward.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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