Liverpool land double Scudetto winner as Andoni Iraola secures major backroom coup
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Liverpool have moved quickly to wrap up the appointment of Alejandro Rosalen as the club’s new first-team goalkeeping coach ahead of their 2026/27 pre-season tour of the United States.The 49-year-old Spaniard arrives on Merseyside to fill the void left by Xavi Valero, who has unexpectedly stepped down after just 12 months into his second spell with the Reds. Rosalen will instantly slot into Andoni Iraola’s newly assembled backroom staff at the AXA Training Centre, bringing a highly respected continental pedigree to Anfield.Valero’s surprise exit triggered moveThe search for a new goalkeeping chief was triggered when Valero, 53, informed Liverpool chiefs before the end of last season of his intention to return to Spain.The Athletic reported that Valero’s decision to step down was entirely amicable and driven solely by personal reasons to return to his homeland.
It is unrelated to the sweeping changes in the dugout following the sacking of former head coach Arne Slot and subsequent arrival of Andoni Iraola.His departure marks the end of a brief second chapter at Anfield, having previously served under Rafael Benítez between 2007 and 2010. He was brought back to the club just last summer by sporting director Richard Hughes following Fabian Otte’s move to Tottenham Hotspur, but his sudden exit means the Reds have now seen four different senior goalkeeping coaches depart across three consecutive summers.While Colin Stewart the club’s goalkeeper development and pathway lead had been primed to take interim charge and have quickly landed Rosalen.In Rosalen, the 20 time Premier League Champions are inheriting a coach with a wealth of elite European experience.The Spaniard arrives directly from Serie A heavyweights Napoli, where he spent three highly successful years from 2021 until this summer.
During his stint in Naples, Rosalen was a key component of the staff that masterminded two Scudetto triumphs, in the 2022-23 and 2024-25 campaigns.Prior to his golden spell in Naples, Rosalen spent a highly productive eight years with Fiorentina, which followed a single-season stint in Hungary he also had an impressive eight-year tenure within Valencia’s esteemed youth academy.The Iraola backroom reshuffleThis appointment represents another piece of the coaching puzzle for new head coach Andoni Iraola, who has overseen a major overhaul of the support staff ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.Iraola has raided former club Bournemouth to bring four trusted staff members with him to Merseyside. The Brazilian, who was recruited by FSG technical director Julian Ward from Atlético Mineiro last September, remains in place as individual development lead coach and will continue his vital work linking the senior squad with the academy.Liverpool scheduled to fly out to the United States for the next phase of their pre-season preparations later today.He will initially work with a senior goalkeeping group consisting of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman.First-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker will miss the start of the US tour.