Liverpool have confirmed the appointments of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Xavi Valero to Arne Slot's backroom staff, with both Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel leaving the club
Arne Slot and his coaching staff in front of the Premier League trophy.
Arne Slot and his coaching staff in front of the Premier League trophy.
(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool have made a number of changes to Arne Slot’s backroom staff ahead of the start of pre-season, with two members of his team departing. Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been appointed as the Reds’ new assistant coach following the departure of John Hetinga to take over as Ajax head coach earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, both Fabian Otte and have left their roles in the goalkeeping department and departed the club.
In their place, Liverpool have appointed Xavi Valero as their new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching. The Spaniard returns to Anfield after previously serving under Rafa Benitez, while he has spent the past seven years with West Ham United.
Joining Liverpool under his compatriot in 2007, Valero later also worked alongside Benitez at Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid.
Van Bronckhorst’s appointment is subject to receiving a visa, with the former Arsenal and Barcelona star taking a backroom role at Anfield after previously enjoying a number of successful stints as a manager.
Starting out at Feyenoord in 2015, he led the Dutch club to the Eredivisie title in 2016/17 and also won two KNVB Cups and two Johan Cruyff Shields.
After a stint in China with Guangzhou R&F, the 50-year-old took over at Rangers in 2021 as he won the Scottish Cup and led them to the Europa League final in his first season in charge.
Meanwhile, taking over as Besiktas manager last summer, he won the Turkish Super Cup with the club before departing in November.
Otte leaves Liverpool after only just one season with the club, having taken over as head of first-team goalkeeper coaching last summer following the departures of John Achterberg and Jack Robinson.
Meanwhile, Taffarel, who famously won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994, initially joined Jurgen Klopp’s backroom team in 2021 and worked alongside the Reds’ goalkeepers as they won the Premier League title, two League Cups and the FA Cup.
The 59-year-old is known to boast a close relationship with first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, having also worked alongside him with the national team.
Confirming the changes to Slot’s backroom staff in a club statement, Liverpool paid tribute to both the departing Otte and Taffarel.
It read: “Everyone at LFC thanks Fabian and Claudio for their contributions and wishes them the best for the future.”