Liverpool have lost a key analyst to Man City after 13 years at the club, forming part of the summer overhaul under Pep Guardiola.
The Reds finished 13 points ahead of a struggling Man City in 2024/25, who left it late to confirm their Champions League status for next season.
Three of Guardiola’s assistant coaches all departed the club in a sizeable shake-up at the Etihad which is to see Pep Lijnders join as his new assistant.
The change in personnel continues behind the scenes with the Athletic‘s James Pearce reporting City have poached Liverpool’s opposition analyst James French.
French has worked at the club since 2012, hired under Brendan Rodgers before taking on a key role under Jurgen Klopp and subsequently Arne Slot.
He will now take up a role dedicated to set-piece coaching and analysis at the Etihad, leaving Liverpool with another key vacancy to fill in the coming weeks and months.
The club are already on the hunt for a new assistant coach after John Heitinga left to lead Ajax, a new U18s boss and a new women’s manager – plus a new vice-captain needs appointing.
• READ: LFC fans have mixed reaction as Lijnders agrees to join Man City
It represents a busy summer on and off the pitch for the club, who are intent on building on their Premier League success.
City’s poaching of French comes after FSG and Liverpool successfully lured their director of football data, Laurie Shaw, to Anfield as the club’s chief scientist.
As for Lijnders’ decision to work under Guardiola, that appointment is expected to be announced in the coming days after Salzburg officially announced his contract had been terminated.