‘I do expect…’ – Journalist names ex-Liverpool idol who Iraola could add to his backroom staff
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Andoni Iraola could plausibly add one former Liverpool midfield to his backroom staff at Anfield, if he’s appointed as the next head coach of the Merseyside club.The former Bournemouth boss is the leading contender to succeed Arne Slot in the Reds’ dugout, with some reports indicating that the LFC hierarchy hope to have the 43-year-old in place before the World Cup begins on 11 June.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYIn addition to a new head coach, there’s likely to be a much-changed backroom team at Liverpool from the start of next season, and it’s been suggested that a former player in L4 may be brought in as part of that setup.Thiago touted for Liverpool coaching roleOn the latest Media Matters podcast for Anfield Index, David Lynch claimed that Iraola adding Thiago Alcantara to his coaching staff on Merseyside would be a sensible appointment.The journalist said: “I do expect there to be someone with a Liverpool background to come in and be part of that coaching staff.
Thiago makes an awful lot of sense, so I wouldn’t rule out that possibility at all.”He added that he’d had a ‘conversation’ with sources regarding an expectation that ‘there will be someone who has played for Liverpool previously to be on that staff’.When Steven Gerrard’s name was brought up as a potential addition to Iraola’s backroom team, Lynch replied: “I don’t think it’ll probably be Stevie, to be honest”; although he added that this was a ‘personal view’ and that our former captain would ‘probably walk over broken glass to get to Liverpool’.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustThiago would be a very popular appointment among Liverpool fansTwo months after leaving Liverpool in 2024, Thiago called time on his playing career and almost immediately joined Hansi Flick’s backroom staff at Barcelona, stepping away for a prolonged period before returning to the Camp Nou setup last September.The 35-year-old will be part of BBC’s punditry team for the upcoming World Cup, but if Iraola were to be appointed at Anfield and seek to bring the former Reds midfielder on board, we suspect that our one-time no.6 would jump at the opportunity.Thiago’s connection with the Merseyside club would make him a hugely popular appointment among the fans, while he’d also have prior knowledge of working with many of our current players as a former teammate of theirs (albeit that the dynamic would be markedly different in a coaching role).It’s also been rumoured that, if the ex-Bournemouth boss is hired by Liverpool, he’d bring his Cherries assistant Tommy Elphick with him, with the 38-year-old being a childhood supporter of the Reds.The first (and most important) piece of business is to finalise the prospective appointment of Iraola, with the Spaniard’s backroom staff then to follow.
If Thiago is in the frame to be part of that setup, we’d be all for it!