The fallout from Arne Slot's sacking at Liverpool deepened on Friday as the club confirmed the departures of three more members of his backroom staff, clearing the way for new head coach Andoni Iraola to bring in his own team.
Sipke Hulshoff, Slot's first assistant coach, lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have all been relieved of their duties, the club announced. Hulshoff and Peeters had been part of the Premier League title triumph in Slot's first season, while Van Bronckhorst was appointed last summer and lasted just 12 months.
“Liverpool confirm three more staff exits as new head coach Andoni Iraola reshapes backroom team.”
The moves come after Liverpool confirmed Iraola's appointment on a two-year deal earlier this month, replacing the Dutchman who was sacked on Saturday, a year after guiding the club to the title. The decision to dismiss Slot was taken by Michael Edwards, Fenway Sports Group's chief executive of football, and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, who concluded the club needed a more front-foot, aggressive and urgent style of football.
Slot's tenure unravelled after a dramatic fall from first to fifth in the Premier League, despite a summer outlay of more than £400m that included twice breaking the British transfer record. The team finished with 60 points – their lowest tally since 2015-16 and 25 points behind champions Arsenal – and even threatened to miss out on Champions League qualification for a period. Slot had spoken openly about his confidence that he would remain, but a club statement said: "We have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but."
Iraola, 43, arrives after guiding Bournemouth to sixth place in the Premier League – their finest top-flight finish – securing Europa League football for the first time. He announced in April he would leave the Cherries this summer and had been linked with Crystal Palace and AC Milan before moving to Merseyside.
The Spaniard is understood to be keen to add Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, his assistants at Bournemouth, to his coaching staff. Remembering the atmosphere at Anfield when Federico Chiesa scored a late winner against his Bournemouth side last August, Iraola said: "[Chiesa] scored and the place erupted. It was crazy, no? I want now to feel this from the other side."
Iraola, who won seven caps for Spain, said he understands "what is expected" but is ready for the challenge. "Really excited, really excited," he said. "Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it's a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world. You don't need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool."