Who are Arne Slot’s backroom staff at Liverpool FC?

Arne Slot has been the headline new name for Liverpool this summer, but he was followed by a host of fresh faces who now make up his backroom staff. But who are they?

The Dutchman arrived from Feyenoord over the summer to take on his biggest job yet, one that kicked off with a positive pre-season – though plenty of work still needs to be done!

Slot has already proven very hands-on, living up to his title as head coach, but he has other voices around him too, and five of those were signed in the wake of the 45-year-old’s appointment.

Here we look at Slot’s backroom staff, many of whom you will see on matchdays.

 

Sipke Hulshoff – First assistant coach

Replacing Pepijn Linders is Sipke Hulshoff, who arrived having already worked with Liverpool’s Dutch team thanks to his time assisting Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands national team.

At club level, he spent the previous two years working Slot at Feyenoord and previously coached with him at SC Cambuur.

He is very hands-on with the squad and during Games is readily in discussion with the substitutes and calls on them when it is their time to be introduced.

Slot previously told LFCTV: “Because we work together for such a long time, I think the both of us know exactly what we want when it comes to game model, playing style – and I think that helps.”

 

Ruben Peeters – Lead physical performance coach

Another man who followed Slot from Feyenoord is Ruben Peeters, who has worked under the boss for three years and counting.

Peeters’ role appears to have some overlap between the jobs done by Andreas Kornmayer and Andreas Schlumberger before their departures this summer.

He has brought with him fresh training ideas and will be key for the Reds as they seek to improve their injury record after two torrid years of fitness issues.

 

John Heitinga – Assistant coach

Having spent last season alongside David Moyes at West Ham after seven years developing as a coach at Ajax, John Heitinga is now at Anfield acting as an assistant coach.

At Ajax, he developed a great relationship with the players but didn’t quite do enough as caretaker to earn the top job on a permanent basis in 2023.

Heitinga injects valuable Premier League experience into Slot’s backroom staff and you may have already noticed he loves donning long socks in training and while sitting on the bench!

 

Fabian Otte – Head of first-team goalkeeper coaching

Somewhat of a left-field appointment, Fabian Otte arrived at Liverpool with the reputation of being a unique coach – we’ve already seen some of his methods in action.

At just 33 years old, he has already six years as goalkeeping coach which includes the 2020/21 season at Burnley when they were in the Premier League.

He then spent three years at Borussia Monchengladbach and used the 2024 summer to coach USA’s goalkeepers at Copa America.

 

Claudio Taffarel – Goalkeeping coach

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A close companion of Alisson, Claudio Taffarel is one of the few remaining links between Klopp’s staff and Slot’s.

Former goalkeeping coaches John Achterberg and Jack Robinson left in the summer and Taffarel is all that remains of the old department, which is key for the Reds’ No. 1.

Since joining Liverpool in 2021, he has also maintained his coaching role with the Brazil national team and, like Otte, was at Copa America in the summer.

 

Aaron Briggs – First team individual development coach

Aaron Briggs brings experience in both the coaching and analysis fields and has effectively taken over the role Vitor Matos was undertaking at the club.

The 37-year-old, who previously worked at Man City, Monaco and Wolfsburg, will act as the link between the academy and the senior squad and was notably helping with set pieces during pre-season.

 

Jonathan Power – Club doctor

Jonathan Power, a boyhood Red, joined the club at the end of 2022 and is readily seen at the AXA Training Centre and on matchdays.

He has vast experience across various Sports and now plays an important role in the club’s medical department.

 

Lee Nobes – Head of physiotherapy

Another familiar face for Reds and one of the few who remains from the Klopp era. Lee Nobes has been with Liverpool since 2018, joining from Man City.

Nobes is a member of the performance and rehabilitation team, leading the physiotherapy department which includes the likes of Chris Morgan, Steve Lilley and Joe Lewis.