Liverpool are on the lookout for the right coaches to join the new era on Merseyside.
The Reds had become used to Jurgen Klopp and his backroom team over the past nine years. But many of them have now left the building.
Since then, Arne Slot is the only member of the coaching staff to have been officially confirmed by Liverpool.
Despite that, it is clear that some of Slot’s old team from Feyenoord will be joining him at Anfield. As many as three coaches look to be on the way.
So far, none of those rumoured to be arriving are goalkeeping coaches. But it sounds like that was not for a lack of trying from Liverpool.
Jyri Nieminen makes Liverpool claim
Nine years is of course a long time to be making a managerial change. But Liverpool’s goalkeeping department has actually been led by John Achterberg for 15.
After a decade-and-a-half at Anfield, Achterberg is set to join Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia. An era of Liverpool goalkeeping has come to a close.
Along with the Dutch coach, the Reds have also lost his assistant, Jack Robinson.
Claudio Taffarel is staying around, thankfully, meaning Liverpool are not completely short of expertise. But it’s clear that they need someone in to lead the department.
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As a result, there had been claims that they were trying to bring in Feyenoord’s head of goalkeeping Jyri Nieminen.
But speaking to Finnish outlet Apu, Nieminen has claimed that although a move to Liverpool was at one stage ‘on’ it is now no longer happening.
“The Liverpool thing was on, and of course I thought about it,” says the 36-year-old. “In all likelihood, I will continue next season at Feyenoord. The situation changes if it changes.”
Feyenoord move to block Liverpool changes
Part of the reason that Nieminen will not join Liverpool looks to be Feyenoord themselves.
Quite understandably, it has been claimed that Feyenoord have moved to block Slot from taking too many of their own backroom team.
While this is disappointing for Liverpool – and probably for Nieminen too – it does make some sense.
Instead, it means that the Reds are scrabbling around for someone to aid the new head coach and work with Alisson Becker.
There will no doubt be plenty of takers, but it’s a shame that Slot hasn’t been able to bring in a coach who was already known to him.
As Nieminen says, if it changes it changes, but this looks like a non-starter now.