Don’t really mind this.
It’s a good decision from Arne.
Hopefully gives Kerkez a layer of class.
Turns out he was the last Feyenoord manager to win the league before Slot.
Little Dutch dream team. Let’s go!
Well he isn’t coming in as our manager, as we have seen with Ljinders there is a massive jump.
Interesting, that’s a bit of more of a “serious CV” for that position. Doesn’t mean it will be any better. But one to watch.
Portuguese coach Paiva, who has worked under Arne Slot as a technical skills coach for the past year, revealed his exit in a message posted to his Linkedin account.
Sounds like it was for family/personal reasons.
Surprised at Claudio Taffarel and Fabian Otte departing, the latter only a year in. Xavi Valero returning to the club.
Liverpool FC can confirm a number of new appointments and departures within Arne Slot’s coaching staff ahead of 2025-26.
Former Netherlands international and captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst joins the Premier League champions in the position of assistant coach, subject to receiving a visa.
Van Bronckhorst won a host of major honours during a playing career that included spells with Feyenoord, Glasgow Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona, and since retiring as a player in 2010 after reaching the World Cup final that year with his country, he has moved into the dugout, starting out in an assistant role at Feyenoord.
He advanced to take charge of the Eredivisie club himself from 2015 to 2019, and his time at the helm of Feyenoord featured a Dutch league title in 2016-17 and two KNVB Beker successes.
Van Bronckhorst subsequently took the reins at Guangzhou R&F in China, then Rangers – who he led to a Scottish Cup victory and the Europa League final in 2021-22 – and most recently Besiktas, departing the Turkish outfit in late 2024.
Meanwhile, Xavi Valero returns to Liverpool as the new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching, moving back to Merseyside after spending the past seven years with West Ham United.
The Spaniard first joined the Reds under Rafael Benitez in 2007 and would remain alongside his compatriot as he subsequently took charge of Internazionale, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid.
After a spell with Hebei China Fortune, Valero linked up with West Ham during the summer of 2018.
Bidding farewell to the Reds’ goalkeeping department ahead of the next campaign are both Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel.
Otte leaves the club after one season as a member of Slot’s staff, one in which he contributed to Liverpool’s Premier League success as head of first-team goalkeeper coaching.
The German joined the Reds last summer, having built up experience in a number of roles, including spells with the USA national team, Burnley and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Brazil legend and World Cup winner Taffarel calls time on an association with Liverpool that began when he took up a coaching opportunity at the AXA Training Centre in 2021.
Initially working under Jürgen Klopp and then for a single campaign with Slot last term, Taffarel supported the senior squad’s stoppers during a period that has included trophy joy in the Carabao Cup (twice), Emirates FA Cup and Premier League.
Everyone at LFC thanks Fabian and Claudio for their contributions and wishes them the best for the future.
Liverpool confirm new coaching staff arrivals and departures - Liverpool FC
https://x.com/LFC/status/1940366289442390131
Both of them leaving is very strange. I feel a bit sorry for Alisson now, he lost all of his Goalie buddies. And after watching Alisson´s story, Taffarel´s departure must hurt him. Doesn’t feel good anyway.
edit
https://x.com/eddiegibbs/status/1940368431351492781
Taffarel exits #LFC quietly, but his impact was anything but …
Claudio Taffarel leaves Liverpool with little fanfare, but his absence will be felt more deeply than most realise. He didn’t just coach Alisson, he stabilised him.
There was something in the way they worked, not just Brazilian camaraderie, but a deep mutual understanding. Taffarel knew what the position demanded, not in theory, but in blood and bone. He’d lived the pressure, felt the weight of nations, and brought that quiet authority to Kirkby every single day.
In a world of over-analysis and tech obsession, he kept things human. You never saw him making headlines or seeking credit, but Alisson’s composure, his timing, his judgment; those things don’t exist in isolation. Behind every great keeper is someone sharpening the edge without dulling the instinct. Taffarel was that man. Valero returns with a fine résumé and will know what’s expected. But this isn’t just about credentials. It’s about chemistry. About the kind of trust that doesn’t need words. About knowing when to step in and when to say nothing. Taffarel had that. You don’t replace it with a handshake and a PowerPoint.
Liverpool’s coaching shuffle might seem like routine business, but this one stings. The goalkeeping unit, always a team within a team, just lost its anchor. And though the headlines will follow Van Bronckhorst or the tactical tweaks to come, the keepers will know what’s changed. The rest of us might not see it in the team sheet, but we’ll feel it in the margins, where Taffarel did his best work.
Am I misremembering, or did Taffarel need convincing to stay longer a year or two ago?
Worrying.
Interesting stuff.
I thought Taffa would likely leave when Alisson leaves anyway. Don’t know if this means that Ali is more likely to leave in 2026 than 2027. But who knows.
New dynamic in the on the pitch GK department with a few new faces; Valero, Mamardashvili, Woodman and Pecsi.
Hopefully the relations are at least professional and respectful. I’m very happy with that department, hopefully stays like that.
Assume it’s this new goalkeeping approach. If I’m honest I felt when Taff left, Alisson would follow so it is kind of concerning.
Oddly Valero is someone people spent two years wanting for us to bring back.
I do feel this might be Alissons Swansong season.
Echo others’ views - Taffa going will likely have a significant impact on Ali. If nothing else, the bringing in of Valero levels the playing field and removes the bias that Taffa will have had for Ali. A real opportunity for Mamardashvili as the incoming keeper to challenge Ali.
I do fully expect Ali to be here next season and continue to be one of the Worlds best, then likely be off. We have the option to extend his deal to 2027. Where Taffa ends up might be a big indication of where Ali does.
The relationship between keeper and goalie coach is a unique one and lots of moves that have gone badly have assigned a portion of the blame to the new keeper not jiving with whomever was responsible for his day to day coaching at his new club. I know a lot of people put the drop in Reina’s form down as much to Valero leaving as it was down to age or the overall drop in standards after Rafa left.
Apparently, Taffa will be joining Carlo Ancelotti’s coaching team. I hope that doesn’t mean that Alisson will look for a move to Brazil this summer. He might do, though, in view of the new goalies we’ve brought in.