Departing Liverpool goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel, the Brazilian legend who had a close relationship with Alisson Becker, has sent a heartfelt message after his exit from Arne Slot's coaching staff was confirmed.
On Wednesday, Liverpool said that Giovanni van Bronckhorst had been appointed as Slot’s new assistant, replacing John Heitinga, who has moved to Ajax. And Xavi Valero was confirmed as returning to become head of first-team goalkeeper coaching, with Taffarel and Fabian Otte both moving on.
"So grateful and proud of the time working with Liverpool FC," Taffarel wrote on Instagram. "My most sincere thank you to every single staff member, all the players, and of course the amazing fans. These years will forever be in my heart."
Taffarel and Alisson formed a close bond at Liverpool, with the latter having been at the club since November 2021. They also work together with the Brazilian national team.
"If they would also change Taffarel, they probably would have told Ali to find a new club basically," John Achterberg, the former Liverpool goalkeeping coach, said last summer, summing up that friendship.
"Personally, I have never been able to plan for the long term," Alisson said earlier this summer, via the Brazilian outlet O Globo. "Obviously, I have one year left on my contract and another year of option from the club.
Claudio Taffarel worked with Alisson at Liverpool
Claudio Taffarel worked with Alisson at Liverpool
"They will probably exercise that option. I think about what I have in hand, about doing a great job, it is a decisive moment in my career, with a World Cup approaching. I want to be very focused, I don’t want any planning to get in the way of this great goal.
"I want to return to Brazilian football, specifically to Inter. I can’t say when, but I want to. And I intend to return at a high level. That’s what I have planned, if that is what planning is."
Liverpool has a succession plan seemingly in place. Giorgi Mamardashvili officially became a Reds player on Tuesday, with that transfer deal having been agreed with Valencia last summer.
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And this year, Liverpool has snapped up the highly-rated 20-year-old Hungarian Armin Pecsi. Caoimhin Kelleher has moved on, while Vitezslav Jaros has gone on loan to Ajax.
But losing Taffarel's experience will have been a blow. He was a highly thought of coach behind the scenes and there has been a fair amount of turnover in staff just a few weeks after the Reds won the league.
Arne Slot and his players will reconvene for pre-season next week with a fresh look among the coaches. The new Premier League campaign kicks off in mid-August against Bournemouth, while the first friendly of the summer is at Preston a week on Sunday.
Liverpool.com says: Taffarel and Alisson had a close relationship and he was a good coach too, so he will be a loss behind the scenes. Valero is highly regarded, too, though, and should be a good replacement.