Join AI Pro
If Andoni Iraola is appointed Liverpool boss, one of the first questions will be who joins him on the backroom staff. On Media Matters for Anfield Index, Dave Davis and David Lynch discussed that issue directly, with Davis asking whether names such as Thiago Alcantara or Steven Gerrard could come into the conversation.
Lynch said he expects Liverpool to look for someone with club knowledge. “I do expect there to be someone with a Liverpool background to come in and be part of that coaching staff,” he told Davis.
That matters because Iraola, if appointed, would arrive at Liverpool with Premier League experience from Bournemouth, but without a long personal connection to Anfield. Adding a former Liverpool player or figure familiar with the club could help build immediate trust, not only with supporters, but also inside the dressing room.
Thiago Alcântara makes sense
The most interesting name raised was Thiago Alcantara. Lynch was careful not to present it as confirmed, but he made clear why it would be logical.
“Thiago makes an awful lot of sense, so I wouldn’t rule out that possibility at all,” Lynch said. He then added that he had “a conversation yesterday” regarding the expectation that “there will be someone who has played for Liverpool previously to be on that staff.”
Davis also pointed to the appeal of Thiago’s profile, saying, “Thiago Alcantara, the fact he’s Spanish, the fact he’s got that link there with Liverpool and he’s played in the Premier League himself before and you get the Spanish coach, that just makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?”
For Iraola, Thiago would appear to tick several boxes, based on the discussion. He knows Liverpool, understands the Premier League, speaks Spanish and carries elite dressing room credibility from his playing career.
Photo: IMAGO
Steven Gerrard considered unlikely
Steven Gerrard’s name naturally came up, but Lynch sounded less convinced that he would be the figure to join Iraola’s staff.
“I don’t think he’ll probably be Stevie, to be honest,” Lynch said, before stressing that this was his “personal view.” He did leave a small opening, adding that “it’s Liverpool” and Gerrard would “probably walk over broken glass to get to Liverpool.”
That distinction is important. Lynch did not rule Gerrard out because of any lack of affinity for the club. Rather, the tone of the conversation suggested that Thiago felt like the more natural fit for Iraola’s potential coaching setup.
Other staff links around Iraola
Davis also mentioned other possible backroom figures, including Tommy Elphick, Iraola’s assistant, who he said is “apparently a Liverpool fan.” He also referenced De La Torre, describing him as “a legendary fitness coach” connected with Red Bull Leipzig and performance work.
Lynch did not expand in detail on those names, but the broader point was clear, Liverpool’s next managerial appointment would not be only about Iraola. It would also be about building the right structure around him.
Given the intensity associated with Iraola’s football, backroom staff could be especially significant. Earlier in the same conversation, Lynch had raised concerns about injury management, saying Bournemouth “have had a fairly awful injury record under Iraola” and that it was “very easy to make the link between the intensity of the football that they play and the fact that they get a lot of muscle injuries.”
That makes the fitness, performance and coaching appointments more than cosmetic. If Liverpool want Iraola’s aggressive style to work across a full season, Europe included, they will need staff capable of managing intensity, recovery and rotation.
As Lynch put it, Liverpool have “work to do in terms of putting together backroom staff.” The strong implication from the Anfield Index discussion was that, if Iraola arrives, at least one Liverpool connected appointment could follow, with Thiago Alcântara the most obvious name raised.
Join AI Pro