Latest news with #Maritimo
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Liverpool assistant lands managerial role
Vitor Matos Secures New Job at Maritimo Amid Liverpool Shake-Up Matos begins senior management journey in Portugal Liverpool's backroom overhaul has taken another turn as former Elite Development Coach Vitor Matos lands a first-team coaching role at Maritimo, marking his first move into senior management. The 36-year-old Portuguese coach will take the reins at the Liga Portugal 2 side, as confirmed by transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. Advertisement Matos, who joined Liverpool in October 2019, was a pivotal figure under Jürgen Klopp, tasked primarily with bridging the gap between the academy and senior side. However, his remit expanded steadily, becoming a consistent presence in the dugout during Liverpool's domestic and European campaigns. 'Vitor Matos has landed himself a first-team job,' Romano stated, signalling a fresh chapter for the coach who departed Anfield alongside Klopp in June 2024. Ljinders heads to City while French follows Vitor Matos isn't the only former Klopp lieutenant stepping into a new challenge. Pep Ljinders, another trusted assistant, has agreed terms to become assistant manager at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. It's a high-profile switch that further underlines the esteem Klopp's staff are held in across elite European football. Advertisement Joining Ljinders at the Etihad will be James French, the analyst who also left Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. Their double arrival adds to an increasingly familiar pattern: ex-Liverpool staff continuing their journeys at top clubs across Europe. Downing returns to Liverpool in scouting capacity Amid the exodus, there have been arrivals too. Stewart Downing, who made 91 appearances for Liverpool between 2011 and 2013, has returned in a new guise — this time as a global talent scout. The 40-year-old will report to chief scout Barry Hunter as the Reds look to strengthen their talent acquisition strategy in under-tapped markets such as South America and Eastern Europe. The appointment is part of a broader effort to modernise and internationalise the club's recruitment framework under new head coach Arne Slot. Lewtas departs after 12 years of youth development Another notable exit is Barry Lewtas, who confirmed his departure after more than a decade in Liverpool's academy. Having led the U21s and played a central role in nurturing a generation of talent, Lewtas leaves behind a strong legacy at Kirkby. Advertisement His departure marks the end of an era, as the club looks to integrate new coaching philosophies under Slot's watch. Lewtas' influence spanned a transformative period for the academy, seeing players such as Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, and Jarell Quansah rise through the ranks. Heitinga leaves, returning to Ajax after brief stint Arne Slot's arrival also coincides with the departure of John Heitinga, who has opted to rejoin Ajax following a brief spell at Liverpool. The former Netherlands international is hoping to play a central role in the revival of the Dutch giants, who dramatically lost the Eredivisie title to PSV Eindhoven after surrendering a nine-point lead. His decision to return to Ajax reflects a broader theme of change and opportunity, with Liverpool's former coaching core now dispersed across Europe — but still leaving their mark.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How a gymnastics background and an ability to adapt to setbacks led Maeda to Parkhead... where Celtic supporters have fallen head over heels in love with their latest Japanese idol
While it is possible to blink and miss Daizen Maeda when he's in full flight, there remains something rather perplexing about the fact that more eyes weren't trained on Celtic 's very own lightning bolt in his early days. The formative years of the man from Osaka were spent a long way the spotlight he's been under in Glasgow for over three years now. His first club, Matsumoto Yamaga, were in the second tier of Japanese football when he joined them in 2016. A lack of opportunities forced him to move on loan to Mito HollyHock, another little-known team in the same division. Without a chance of getting a bite from one of the big guns in his homeland, Maeda made his first speculative trip to Europe as a 21-year-old. Based on the island of Madeira, Maritimo offered the player a chance to showcase his credentials to Portugal's big three — Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and Porto. While he believes he played well enough there to merit another opportunity in Europe, the uncertainty of those times ensured he'd no choice but to return to his homeland. 'I don't think it didn't work well because I was playing in the club,' Maeda recalled. 'It was just the timing of it. It was before and during Covid and I had to make a decision for the family. 'It all came to an end and there was a decision to go back home. If there hadn't been Covid, I would have stayed in Europe. It is what it is.' Who knows what direction his career would have taken had the pandemic not changed life as we know it? Resigned to returning to Matsumoto and fighting for his place, Maeda's luck began to change when Ange Postecoglou entered the picture. The Australian had won the J-League with Yokohama F Marinos the previous year. He saw something in Maeda which other managers didn't recognise. Postecoglou took the winger on loan, signed him permanently and then offered him the chance of a reunion after he moved to take charge at Celtic. If Maeda's unique approach to football didn't quite get the appreciation it deserved prior to arriving in Glasgow, the past three years have certainly made up for it. Brendan Rodgers has gone on record to state that 'there's not anyone better in world football' at setting the tone from the front. Captain Callum McGregor said his team-mate was 'almost like playing with two players, he's that good'. Adam Idah suggested he was 'the first name on the teamsheet. I don't know where we'd be without him'. This season, the scores of managers throughout the world who thought about signing Maeda, but thought again, must have been racked with regret. At 27, he's markedly improved technically and has swept the ball into the net 33 times. Celtic lost his compatriot, Kyogo Furuhashi, to Rennes in January but Maeda simply swapped positions and filled the void. 'Definitely, it's been the best season of my career,' he reflected after being voted SFWA Player of the Year. 'It was beyond expectations. I understood the importance of constantly doing what I'm doing. It was a great season to understand that part and hopefully I can continue. 'I'm working on the things I've been working on from the past it's paid off. 'I'm very happy to receive the award. I think team-mates come first and it's because of them I have received this award. After that it's managers, coaches, staff and also, of course, my parents. I'm really pleased to receive this award for them.' He was not always so devoted to his craft. Growing up in Japan, he dreamt of sporting success in a different field. 'I wanted to be a gymnast,' he revealed. 'I practised it a lot. I would look at the Olympics and think I wanted to be there. I wanted to participate in the Olympics. That's why I was practising so much. It was on the floor and the one with the bars.' When did he realise that he'd be better off concentrating on football? 'I still don't think that football is better!' he smiled. 'I just realised that now I'm a football player. I think the experience in my childhood helps me to move the body better.' Celtic supporters will be eternally grateful that his talent with a ball at his feet won the day. Maeda was something of a cult hero when he first arrived at the club but is no longer damned with such faint praise. The four goals he scored in the Champions League this season made him the first Celt since Joe Craig in 1977/78 to reach that mark. Rodgers would like Maeda to extend his contract beyond 2027 but believes there will inevitably be interest from elsewhere. 'This is a world where you never know what's going to happen next,' said Maeda. 'This a good team, but I need to think about what comes next with my family and everything. Now, my focus is on this team. 'I'm not thinking a lot right now because there's still a game to play. I'm thinking about how I spend my day off, so we'll just get the games done then let's see what happens.' In the past few days, that domestic unit has expanded by one. Maeda travelled home three weeks ago hoping to be present at the birth of his third child but returned — just in time to face Rangers — without his wife having gone into labour. All is well now, though, after the birth of his son Raikou. 'I have a baby boy,' he said. 'I've seen him on video calls. I haven't seen him face to face yet, so I just want to go into the off-season and see him.' Three-and-a-half years after Postecoglou first set him loose on Premiership defenders, there is no sign that he's yet longing to return home. While Celtic restored their reputation in the Champions League this season, and he left an indelible mark on it, that narrowest of defeats to Bayern Munich clearly still rankles. 'Everyone said we did a great performance in the Champions League, but we didn't go through to the next stage,' said Maeda. 'I think there's something missing in our team. So, for the next season, I think we should try to go to the next stage.' That quest might well be helped by scouring the Land of the Rising Sun for new recruits. Two decades on from Shunsuke Nakamura lighting up the stage and himself lifting the SFWA award, Maeda, Reo Hatate and Furuhashi have strengthened the bond between the Far East and the East End. 'From the beginning when I joined this club I felt that they were welcoming especially the Japanese players,' said Maeda. 'I'm very grateful to play under such circumstances. I really think that having the Japanese players in this team will strengthen the levels of the team and improve the technique of the team. So, I hope there will be more players coming over.'
