Arne Slot had wanted to bring Etienne Reijnen with him to Liverpool from Feyenoord only for the move to be blocked because of work permit issues
Feyenoord assistant coach Etienne Reijnen, Feyenoord coach Robin van Persie, Feyenoord assistant coach Rene Hake during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Feyenoord and NEC at Feyenoord Stadium de Kuip
Feyenoord assistant coach Etienne Reijnen, Feyenoord coach Robin van Persie, Feyenoord assistant coach Rene Hake during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Feyenoord and NEC at Feyenoord Stadium de Kuip
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Arne Slot was seemingly blocked from hiring his first-choice as Liverpool’s set-piece coach after taking over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2024. The Dutchman led the Reds to the Premier League title in his first season in charge.
And he did so after putting together a new-look backroom staff after the majority of Klopp’s team called time on their own Anfield careers alongside the German.
Sipke Hulshoff joined Liverpool as assistant coach as he joined Slot in making the move from Feyenoord, while John Heitinga was also appointed in the same role following his departure from West Ham United.
Fabian Otte joined as the club’s new head of goalkeeping, while Ruben Peeters also made the move to Anfield as first team performance coach. Meanwhile, Aaron Briggs was appointed as first team development coach.
There have already been a number of changes to Slot’s initial backroom team, just 18 months after he took over at Liverpool, with Briggs becoming the latest departee.
Having been tasked with set-pieces alongside his development coach duties last season, he was then named as the Reds’ new specialist set-piece coach in the summer.
However, it was confirmed that he had left the club by mutual consent on Tuesday amid growing criticism of Liverpool’s struggles from set-pieces this season.
Slot’s side have conceded 12 goals from dead-ball situations in 18 top-flight games this season, while they have only scored three times from set-pieces, with their defensive record from them the joint-worst in Europe’s top five leagues.
Briggs’ departure follows on from Heitinga and Otte’s in the summer, along with surviving goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel.
The Dutchman stood down from his role to take over as Ajax head coach, while the German later joined Tottenham Hotspur as head of goalkeeping.
They would be replaced at Liverpool by Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Xavi Valero respectively, while Luis Fernando Iubel filled Briggs’ original position as first team development coach.
Liverpool had advertised for a full time set-piece coach on LinkedIn before tasking Briggs with such responsibilities, while no replacement has been lined up following his departure.
As a result, the onus will now fall on Slot and his coaching staff to improve the Reds' record at set-pieces.
The Dutchman had wanted to bring another coach in alongside him and Hulshoff from Feyenoord when making the initial move to Anfield back in the summer of 2024.
However, he was blocked from hiring Etienne Reijnen due to work permit issues with the 36-year-old not boasting the requisite coaching qualifications to move to the Premier League as he struggled to gain the necessary work visa as a result.
Arne Slot and his Feyenoord staff pose with a trophy.
Arne Slot enjoyed huge success with his backroom team at Feyenoord.
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Reijnen remained at Feyenoord as a result, where he still serves as assistant coach under Robin van Persie.
But in an interview with Algemeen Dagblad last December, Slot revealed that his former coach also remained in charge of set-pieces at the Eredivise outfit.
“The fact that the people I brought with me to Feyenoord are also praised is also special,” he said. “Marino Pusic came and went to Shakhtar Donetsk, which plays in the Champions League.
“Everyone knows how enthusiastic I am about Sipke Hulshoff. But others saw that too. He did so well that he became an assistant for the Dutch national team under Ronald Koeman.
“Etienne Reijnen is still at Feyenoord, and I recently read that Brian Priske praised him. The set-pieces are a strength at Feyenoord, and Reijnen still takes care of them.
“At Liverpool, they see that John Heitinga is doing a good job. The fact that Sven Mislintat didn't choose Heitinga as head coach at the time, and that he left Ajax for that reason, is now benefiting Liverpool.”
Fast forward a year and Feyenoord have scored eight non-penalty set-pieces this season and conceded just once from dead-ball situations.
Liverpool’s woes from set-pieces this season in contrast have been a growing frustration, culminating in Briggs’ departure.
With his appointment as set-piece coach far from orthodox in the first place, only time will tell how the Reds will address such a situation in the long-term.
Slot and his current coaches will pick up the slack in the mean-time. But with Reijnen tasked with such responsibilities under the Liverpool head coach during their time at Feyenoord - and still in charge of set-pieces at De Kuip to this day - it does make you wonder what the Reds’ record would look like if work permit issues had not stopped them from hiring the coach in the first place.