James Pearce confirms Liverpool arrival which’ll trigger new role for one man at Anfield | OneFootball

Liverpool have confirmed one new addition at Anfield in the final week of the summer transfer window.

Arne Slot’s squad has seen plenty of incomings and outgoings since the end of last season, and there could be more activity in the coming days as the Reds potentially bid again for Alexander Isak, while also continuing to show an interest in Marc Guehi.

There’s also been some upheaval in terms of the Dutchman’s backroom staff in recent months, with Johnny Heitinga leaving to take charge of Ajax, and his vacancy as an assistant to the 46-year-old filled by ex-Rangers and Feyenoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Liverpool appoint Luiz Fernando Iubel to Slot’s backroom staff

As reported by James Pearce for The Athletic on Wednesday night, Liverpool have appointed Luiz Fernando Iubel as their new individual development lead coach, with the Brazilian having stepped down from his role as an assistant coach with Atletico Mineiro in his homeland.

The 36-year-old’s arrival will also result in a change of job title for Aaron Briggs, who’ll vacate the aforementioned role to instead become LFC’s first-team set piece coach, an area in which he’s specialised since joining the club 13 months ago, despite it not being officially part of his remit.

Iubel has been appointed after a ‘rigorous four-stage global recruitment process’ among Slot and other senior Anfield figures, and he was chosen off the back of his track records for developing young players in Brazil, including the likes of Igor Paixao (now at Marseille) and Igor Jesus (Nottingham Forest).

He will work across the first team, under-21 and under-18 training groups at Liverpool and will also have a role in supporting on-loan players with their pathway into the senior setup on Merseyside.

(Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Hopefully Iubel can make an impactful contribution at Liverpool

Iubel has had several stints as interim first-team manager at Cuiaba in Brazil prior to his role at Atletico Mineiro, so he arrives at Anfield with a notable body of work, particularly in terms of the development of young players.

He could have a major part to play in guiding the progress of teenage LFC prospects such as Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, both of whom have made an impact with the senior side, dramatically so in the former’s case earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the impending move of Briggs to a formal set piece coaching position – which has officially been vacant since last summer – is a recognition of his excellent work in that regard, something that Pearce noted during the 2024/25 season in praising him as a ‘shrewd appointment’ at Liverpool.

While Slot will understandably take most of the plaudits for any success the team enjoys on the pitch, he still leans upon the expertise of his backroom staff to plot a pathway to victory for the Reds, and the addition of Iubel appears to be another smart piece of recruitment at Anfield.

Hopefully the 36-year-old can make an impactful contribution behind the scenes and help the likes of Ngumoha and Nyoni to continue their upward trajectory.