Andoni Iraola will hope to guide Liverpool to glory in 2026/27, but will be without a key member of the Reds' backroom staff following a shock departure
Andoni Iraola looks
Andoni Iraola has already lost a member of Liverpool's coaching staff(Image: Andrew Powell, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Andoni Iraola faces the task of instantly familiarising himself with a new head goalkeeping coach at Liverpool after Xavi Valero opted to leave the club following just 12 months in the role. Pre-season training kicks off next week as the Reds gear up for the 2026/27 season, but the experienced Spaniard - who rejoined Liverpool from West Ham United last year - will play no part.
Although The Athletic reports that his exit is in no way linked to Arne Slot's dismissal, it is understood that the parting of ways has been entirely amicable. The Anfield club will now weigh up a number of candidates as they seek to name a successor to Valero, with goalkeeper development and pathway lead Colin Stewart stepping in to cover the position in the meantime.
Stewart also arrived at the club last year after a nine-year spell with Rangers, and will take charge of working alongside the likes of Alisson, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi until a permanent replacement for Valero is secured.
This marked Valero's second spell at Liverpool, having previously served as part of Rafael Benitez's backroom team between 2007 and 2010. He subsequently followed the Spanish manager to the likes of Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid before taking up a seven-year tenure at West Ham.
It comes as Iraola arrives with several members of his own backroom team, as he seeks to steer Liverpool back towards success in the upcoming season. Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper join as first-team coaches, while Pablo de la Torre and Tom Webber accompany him as his respective assistant coach and tactical analyst.
Sipke Hulshoff, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ruben Peeters and Roderick van der Ham all left Merseyside alongside Slot in May. There's a sense of new beginnings surrounding the club as a result of Iraola's appointment, after a disappointing campaign under Slot.
While he succeeded in securing Champions League qualification for the new season with a fifth-place finish, a largely patchy start to the campaign stopped the Reds from retaining the league title they claimed just over 12 months earlier.
As a consequence, Slot was relieved of his duties, with Iraola making the surprise switch from Bournemouth after a creditable sixth-place finish, which will see the Cherries also feature in European competition this coming season - though in the Europa League.
Liverpool goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero and Rafael Benitez
Goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero originally joined Liverpool under Rafael Benitez before returning in 2025(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Discussing the challenge ahead with Liverpool, Iraola said: "Really excited, really excited. Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it's a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world.
"But feeling inside and understanding a little bit more of this club, I always thought it's a special club. You don't need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool.
"But obviously the atmosphere, the supporters, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it cannot be more attractive than this. It's difficult to find it. So, really excited to start."
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