Latest news with #XaviValero
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Darwin Nunez's could STAY after Liverpool announce new arrival
Everyone thinks Darwin Nunez is off this summer, but perhaps his Liverpool career might be saved. Look the reality is that the Reds want to sell the Uruguayan. He just hasn't got going in a Liverpool shirt and the chances are he never will. Advertisement Arne Slot doesn't particularly seem to rate him and his erratic behaviour on and off the pitch hasn't helped things with the Dutchman. Nunez is a loose wire. He's unpredictable, sometimes in the very best and sometimes in the very worst possible ways. But somewhere deep within him, hides a phenomenal talent. If he can just harness that potential, Liverpool know they have a fantastic player on their hands. Someone who could dominate defenders at ease. Someone who could flourish in this Liverpool system under Slot - especially with the arrival of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Advertisement And in order to do that Liverpool might have just brought in someone who could save his career. Liverpool announced the arrival of goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero. The club released an official post on their website, welcoming the Spaniard's return to Anfield after 15 years. At first glance it may not be immediately obvious why Valero would be the man to save Nunez's career. After all, he's a goalkeeping coach. How could a goalkeeping coach help a striker? Well, Valero is a rather unorthodox goalkeeping coach. He believes goalkeeping sessions should be integrated with outfield players and he is often helping out strikers as well when he does his opposition analysis. Advertisement In fact, when he was last at the club, Fernando Torres credited him for his performances and goals. Speaking in 2008 as per the Daily Mirror, Torres said: "We've a Spanish goalkeeping coach and he has been a genius at telling me every week exactly what kind of task lies in front of me in the following match. Nobody has ever worked with me like this before. It's outstanding. "Basically, I know days before the next game exactly the best way to finish a chance against the keeper I'm about to face. Xavi Valero tells me precisely what each keeper tends to do – stay big, go down early, if they have a preferred side they try to push you to. It's vital information. I've refined the way I take chances as a result." Ten years after that interview, Valero addressed Torres' comments in an interview with ESPN: Advertisement "Because we're training with goalkeepers and we always know how goalkeepers are going to react, I like to let the goalkeepers know how the other team is going to attack them, how they're going to attack our goalkeepers," Valero said. "Sometimes there's some relevant information for the strikers to know about the goalkeeper. With Fernando, and other players at different teams, I always tried to give him some tips. If there's any weak point we can exploit, we tried it. It's good and sometimes helps the striker to have that information when it comes to the very last moment of the game or finishing in one-versus-one [situations]. "We will try to do it [now], but not all the 'keepers have weak points. If you find one then you have to exploit it." Having someone like that giving this kind of information to Nunez before games could be the confidence booster the Uruguayan needs. Valero's work clearly paid off with Torres, and the fact that he is Spanish meaning he can converse with Nunez will be a massive benefit as well.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool confirm arrival of best in the world
Arguably though the area of the squad that has seen the biggest shake-up at the club this summer has been the goalkeeping department. Liverpool had a really strong goalkeeper contingent last season with Alisson Becker as the club's no.1 choice, and Caoimhin Kelleher and Vitezslav Jaros behind him. Advertisement On top of that, goalkeeping coaches Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel were both key pillars in creating a strong environment for the club's goalkeepers to flourish. But as Liverpool confirmed on their official website, the duo is set to depart, adding to the departures of Jaros on loan to Ajax and Kelleher on a permanent deal to Brentford. In their place, the Reds have appointed Xavi Valero, who returns to the club after 15 years away from Anfield. Previously he worked at Liverpool under Rafa Benitez for three years between 2007 until 2010. During his time at the club he worked with Jerzy Dudek, Pepe Reina and Peter Gulacsi. Advertisement After leaving Liverpool, he's worked at some of the biggest clubs and some of the best goalkeepers in the world. From Real Madrid to Napoli, Chelsea and Inter Milan. During the course of his coaching he's also lifted both the Europa League and the Europa Conference League. Valero spent the last seven years at West Ham United, where he created a competitive goalkeeping environment and helped to develop a number of the club's young goalkeepers. Valero is a huge coup for Liverpool. He's known as an innovator within the game, who works closely with neuroscience experts to help his goalkeepers improve not just physically but mentally as well. The Spaniard places a key emphasis on the psychological aspects of the game from a goalkeeper's point of view. Advertisement He's also a staunch advocate of goalkeepers participating in the vast majority of team training sessions, rather than working in an isolated group away from the rest of the team. This is something he introduced under Benitez at Liverpool to great success, helping to improve all the club's goalkeepers' ability on the ball. © IMAGO - Xavi Valero Liverpool To put it succinctly, Liverpool have lost a brilliant goalkeeping coach in Otte but they have replaced him with a coach in Valero who is regarded as one of the best in the world in his role. Bringing in someone of his expertise is a massive boost for the Reds. Valero will be arriving at an entirely new environment at Liverpool, with an almost completely fresh faced goalkeeping department. Apart from Alisson, there will be three new goalkeepers coming to Anfield in Giorgi Mamardashvili, Armin Pecsi and Freddie Woodman. The former is expected to push Alisson for the no.1 position, and Valero's appointment is particularly smart because he has experience in how to deal with two goalkeepers pushing for the no.1 spot at West Ham.
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Reds appoint Van Bronckhorst and Valero to Slot's staff
Liverpool have confirmed Giovanni van Bronckhorst will become an assistant coach at the club as part of a number of staff Bronckhorst has managed the likes of Besiktas, Rangers and Feyenoord, where he won the Dutch title in arrival - initially reported by BBC Sport's senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel on 12 June - follows the departure of John Heitinga from Arne Slot's staff after the 2024-25 title-winning Reds have also reappointed Xavi Valero as head of first-team goalkeeping. Valero was at the club under Rafael Benitez and his return comes as Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel leave the goalkeeping department.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Giovanni van Bronckhorst named Liverpool assistant, Xavi Valero returns in coaching shake up
Liverpool have confirmed the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst as assistant coach, while Xavi Valero has returned to the club as goalkeeping coach following the departures of both Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel. The Athletic reported on June 12 that Van Bronckhorst, 50, was close to joining Liverpool's backroom team as a replacement for John Heitinga, who departed to take up the head coach's role at Ajax. Advertisement Van Bronckhorst will form a new-look backroom team alongside Sipke Hulshoff and Aaron Briggs, and Valero – who has returned to the club from Premier League rivals West Ham United. Valero first joined the Reds in 2007 under then-boss Rafael Benitez and subsequently worked under the Spaniard at Internazionale, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid, joining West Ham in summer 2018 following a spell with Hebei China Fortune. Van Bronckhorst has held roles at Feyenoord, Rangers and Besiktas, and while he has never worked with Slot before, the pair share a similar philosophy regarding playing style. The role marks a first return to the Premier League for the former Netherlands international since his two seasons at Arsenal between 2001 and 2003. The former midfielder and full-back also played for Feyenoord, Rangers, and Barcelona and was capped 106 times by his country across a 17-year professional career. He retired in 2010 and began his coaching career in Feyenoord's academy, before spending four years as the club's first-team manager. He then had a short spell coaching in China before taking charge of Rangers for a year. Following his dismissal as Rangers manager in November 2022, Van Bronckhorst was sacked from his position as Besiktas manager after five months in charge in December 2024. He has been working as a UEFA analyst since the start of 2025. Valero, meanwhile, returns to Liverpool as a replacement for Otte and Taffarel, who have both departed after one season working under Slot – marking a wholesale change in the club's first-team goalkeeper coaching set up. Otte arrived in summer 2024, the same summer in which Slot was appointed, following spells with the US Men's National Team, Burnley and Borussia Monchengladbach. Brazilian World Cup-winner Taffarel began coaching with Liverpool in 2021, initially working under Slot's predecessor Jurgen Klopp. Advertisement By The Athletic's Jordan Campbell Van Bronckhorst took time out of the game after six months in Turkey managing Besiktas, which was not the easiest to navigate behind the scenes. He had opportunities to return to management and that remained his plan but this was too good an opportunity to turn down. The Feyenoord connection also helped. Van Bronckhorst knows English football well from his time as an Arsenal player and he also spent time at City Football Group where he learned the methodology employed by Pep Guardiola. He never joined the network, however, and after a spell in China he returned to Rangers where he had success as a player. He won a Scottish Cup but the highlight proved to be an astonishing run to the Europa League final which saw the Scottish side beat Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties. He was unable to build on that success domestically and was sacked midway through the next season after a dismal Champions League group performance. His style matches Slot's in that it is possession-based and he usually operates with a 4-3-3. But his super strength, as he showed in Rangers' run, is his eye for detail in one-off games so he should be a strong addition to the staff given his experience at big clubs with big expectations.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Michail Antonio kicking balls again as West Ham striker returns to training with club offering him new deal... while Graham Potter admits to axing coach leaving door open to another raid of former club Chelsea
Michail Antonio has taken another huge step to returning to action with the West Ham striker back kicking balls in training with his team-mates. The Hammers front man has not featured since breaking his leg in a horror car crash in December. Antonio is out of contract in the summer but West Ham are understood to have offered him a short-term deal while he regains his fitness but it remains to be seen whether he will stay beyond the summer or look for a move elsewhere. 'He's looking at what offers he gets,' a senior Hammers source told Mail Sport. Antonio, the club's record Premier League goal scorer, has been working hard to get his fitness back, flying out for some warm-weather training in Dubai in February. 'Out of respect for Mich, I wouldn't want to speak about his contract situation,' said West Ham boss Graham Potter. 'As I've said before, it's a unique situation because of what he's had to deal with. I think the club are trying their best to accommodate that and to understand that. 'He's training back with the team. Bit by bit, he's getting stronger. Yes [he's kicking balls again]. He's getting there. He's not back to 100 per cent, of course, but from where he was to where he is now, it's incredible steps he's taken.' Meanwhile, Potter said it was his decision for West Ham to part ways with long-standing goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero and revealed he already has potential replacements lined up. Valero has been at the club for seven years since the time of Manuel Pellegrini but Potter admitted he feels it's time for a refresh and will depart in the summer. The West Ham boss refused to name possible successors, but Potter could be tempted to raid former club Chelsea for their head of global goalkeeping Ben Roberts, who he worked with during his time at Stamford Bridge. Potter has already raided his old stomping ground for backroom staff when he poached Kyle Macaulay for his new head of recruitment, though Chelsea insisted at the time that Roberts would not be following suit. 'I'd say it's a decision I made,' said Potter on Valero's departure. 'I just got a sense that sometimes you just need to freshen things up. I have huge respect for Xavi as a man, as a goalkeeper coach. He's been incredible for the club. 'I've just got a feeling that it was good for us to have a change and so we'll be looking to do that over the summer. 'There's some potentials, but again, there's nothing to announce, but we've got a few ideas.' Valero said: 'It is with great sadness that I leave West Ham United, but also with great pride and appreciation for the experience of the last seven years. 'Some memories will stay with me always – the magical night at London Stadium against Sevilla and that unforgettable evening in Prague. Moments like that ensure a connection to the club forever. 'I'm truly grateful for the time I have been given to share with the West Ham family, which is now my own. I leave east London proud of what I have contributed and wishing the club the very best in the future.' West Ham's goalkeeper struggles this season were encapsulated in the defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend when first-choice Alphonse Areola's howler handed the visitors the lead as he passed the ball straight to Morgan Gibbs-White. Macauley will need to work his magic in the summer too with the Hammers likely to need to sign a new keeper with another long-term servant Lukas Fabianski leaving the club.
