Andoni Iraola has brought in four of his coaches from Bournemouth to join him at Liverpool, although new assistant Tommy Elphick had the chance to become a manager elsewhere
22:02, 02 Jul 2026
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Head Coach Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth with Assistants Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Arsenal at Vitality Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
Tommy Elphick was offered a manager's job before joining Andoni Iraola at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
New Liverpool coach Tommy Elphick was offered the chance to become a manager elsewhere before following Andoni Iraola to Anfield.
Elphick was one of four new members to have been confirmed for the coaching staff at Liverpool on Thursday. The 38-year-old joins the Reds as a first-team coach, having also worked with Iraola at Bournemouth.
They’re also joined by Shaun Cooper (first-team coach), Pablo de la Torre (assistant coach) and Tom Webber (first-team tactical analyst), although Elphick could have taken a job elsewhere as he was offered the chance to step up as a manager for the first time in his career.
Elphick was linked with the vacant manager’s job at Burnley, with talkSPORT’s Alex Crook having recently reported that the Clarets had “made a play” for him following their relegation from the Premier League.
At that stage, the process to add him to Iraola’s coaching staff at Liverpool was said to be too advanced for him to consider the Burnley job, although his ambitions to become a manager in the future were made clear.
Bristol City also made a move for Elphick earlier in the summer, with the Robins having been looking for a successor to former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson, who had taken on the job at Ashton Gate on an interim basis in March.
Former Bournemouth coaches Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper have now joined Liverpool
Former Bournemouth coaches Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper have now joined Liverpool(Image: Rhianna Chadwick / AFP via Getty Images)
Elphick turned down that job, and had been expected to stay at Bournemouth under new Cherries boss Marco Rose until Iraola was confirmed as the Reds’ new head coach.
Iraola will soon get the chance to work with his new squad for the first time, with the first batch of players set to return for pre-season later this month.
Five players have been knocked out of the World Cup this week, which could also see them return to training with the Reds sooner than expected, with Florian Wirtz, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak all going out at the last-32 stage.
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Liverpool will be heading to the United States on tour, where they will face Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds before returning home to Anfield for friendlies against Monaco and Como.
The Reds’ 2026/27 season then gets underway on August 23, when Iraola will take his side to Newcastle, with the first home game of the campaign following six days later on August 29 against Nottingham Forest.