Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has been discussing the three coaches who followed him to Merseyside from Bournemouth
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 22: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Andoni Iraola, Head Coach of Liverpool during a training session at Endeavor Health Performance Center on July 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola, head coach of Liverpool during a training session at Endeavor Health Performance Center on July 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois
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Andoni Iraola has outlined the importance of the three coaches he brought with him from Bournemouth as the new-look Liverpool backroom staff takes shape.
Iraola signed a two-year deal to succeed Arne Slot in early June after leaving Bournemouth, who he guided to European qualification for the first time in their history before leaving at the end of last season.
As part of the shake-up that saw Slot depart alongside assistants Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who have both since returned to Feyenoord, the new Reds head coach was insistent Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Pablo de la Torre all moved to Merseyside as well.
Iraola brought De la Torre with him from Rayo Vallecano when he took over Bournemouth in 2023 and it was at the Vitality Stadium where he struck up good relationships with former players Elphick and Cooper, who have now taken on roles as first-team coaches at Anfield.
De la Torre was previously credited as being Iraola's fitness coach but the Liverpool boss has confirmed the Spaniard will work directly as his No.2 as he talked up the value of having his trusted lieutenants with him.
"For me, it was important they came with me," the former Spain international said on the club's pre-season tour of Chicago. "Pablo is a physical coach but has been with me almost all the years I have been coaching.
"So for me, he is much more than a physical coach, really. He is an assistant and we know each other very well.
"I was very lucky with Tommy and Shaun when I arrived at Bournemouth. Because I was unlucky to have the issue with my (former) assistant coach Inigo Perez.
"After it, it worked out very well for him because now he is coaching Villarreal, maybe we play him in the Champions League. But when I had Tommy and Shaun there, we did not feel the need to send in another assistant.
"They were very prepared, they were very helpful for me in terms of understanding the English culture, the mentality of the players, what they were used to, what they like in training, even the small details that maybe in Spain are different.
"Also the experience Tommy has at Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Huddersfield, they can be in a closer position to the players, if you want, They can feel more identified. I am a little bit older. Some of the players maybe didn't know I was a player."
Iraola added: "So they are very good to me, they are very good coaches, we kind of understand the game similarly and they have different roles in the coaching staff, they help with set-pieces also. That’s the reason I continued with them."
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Head Coach Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth with his coaching staff, Shaun Cooper, Tommy Elphick, Pablo de la Torre and Neil Moss during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at Vitality Stadium on May 19, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
Andoni Iraola with his coaching staff, Shaun Cooper, Tommy Elphick, Pablo de la Torre and Neil Moss during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at Vitality Stadium on May 19, 2026 in Bournemouth, England(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
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No team conceded more set-pieces than Bournemouth last season, shipping a Premier League-high 26. Liverpool also struggled in that department, conceding 23 in a campaign that saw them sack Aaron Briggs at the turn of the year over a weakness that proved so costly.
Elphick and Cooper will now work closely with Lewis Mahoney, the first-team set-piece analyst, who played a more prominent role behind the scenes after Briggs was relieved of his duties at the end of December.
"Tommy does defensive set plays, Shaun does more offensive, more creative ones," Iraola confirmed. "But also we are working very well here with the set-piece analyst, who was very good in the second half of last season. He is already with the club, so they are working on some stuff.
"I always say we are assistants to the players. They are the main part. Our main thing is to help them and they are the only ones who can give us success. We are not as important as they are, that is pretty clear."
As well as the arrivals of Elphick, Cooper and De la Torre, Luis Fernando Iubel will continue as the individual development lead coach.
The club also confirmed the appointment of Alejandro Rosalen on Monday as the new first-team goalkeeping coach, following the departure of Xavi Valero.
Iraola, though, insists it is the group of players whose importance outweighs the coaches employed to improve performance as he chatted at the team's plush hotel in Downtown Chicago.
He said: “I always consider the players the main part of this. Coaches are important in terms of trying to maximise the potential of every player and try to create the environment to perform better.
"But it’s true that when you have been so consistent for so many years in a row like Jurgen (Klopp) and Pep (Guardiola) have been, obviously they are the main heroes.”