Biweekly Staff Roundup: 19th July to 2nd August

The 2024/25 season is fast approaching, and clubs across Europe are putting the finishing touches to the teams that they hope will bring them success in the new campaign. That goes for backroom staff as well as playing personnel. A number of interesting appointments have been made over the last few weeks as the coaching domino effect continues to spark moves across the UK and further afield. In the latest edition of our biweekly staff roundup, we track some of the major off-field appointments that have been made in the last fortnight.

Andreas Georgson, Manchester United

In recent years, a handful of specialist coaches have played a pivotal role in growing the importance and efficacy of set pieces in elite football. One of the most crucial figures in developing this aspect of the game has been Andreas Georgson, a 42-year-old Norwegian coach who has worked as a set piece coach at a range of clubs across Europe. He first gained prominence at Brentford, where he worked with Thomas Frank to make the Bees one of the Premier League's most dangerous teams from set pieces. He's also worked at Arsenal, Southampton, and most recently Norwegian side Lillestrom, where he has been head coach since January. The ability he's demonstrated within his array of roles caused the new-look Manchester United hierarchy to swoop in, their interest in Georgson reinforced by new United technical director Jason Wilcox's experiences working with him at Southampton. Now, the set piece expert will join Erik ten Hag's coaching staff for the 2024/25 campaign.

Cesc Fabregas, Como 1907

The appointment of legendary former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas as the new boss of Como 1907 is no huge surprise, given the key role he played in guiding the club to Serie B promotion last season. However, it's still a huge deal for the 37-year-old former Spain international. It's only a year since Fabregas ended his playing career at Como and transitioned into an assistant coach role at the club, but the sacking of head coach Moreno Longo last November saw the World Cup winner become interim head coach. He improved the form of the first team before stepping back into the assistant coach role under Osain Roberts, with the duo's hard work eventually leading to a historic automatic promotion to the Italian top flight. Now, Roberts will become Head of Development while Fabregas assumes the head coach position. "I thank the ownership group for trusting me with this position," he said. "It's going to be a tough and important season but myself and the rest of the coaching staff are ready and we all believe."

Steve McClaren, Jamaica

Over the past week, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the vacant managerial position for the Jamaica men's national team. Former Newcastle, Aston Villa and Hull City manager Steve Bruce was linked heavily with the role, but on 1st August it was announced that the Jamaican FA had opted to go with former England boss Steve McClaren instead. McClaren has spent the last two years working as an assistant to Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, but the huge amount of turnover at the club this summer presumably played a role in his decision to take on this fresh international management challenge. He's got plenty of experience coaching outside England, with one of his most high-profile foreign stints (at Dutch side FC Twente) leaving his old boss ten Hag in no doubt about his talents. "Steve and I have been friends for 16 years since we first worked together at FC Twente… He has been an invaluable source of support and advice to me since I arrived in English football, helping us achieve two trophies while laying down foundations for further success," said the United boss.

Glenn van der Kraan, Chelsea

It's not just the coaching staff that has been switched up at Chelsea this summer; at directorial level, there's also been change. On 26th July, the Blues appointed former Manchester City Head of Coaching Glenn van der Kraan as their new Academy Technical Director. This is a brand new job, created to oversee the Academy and boost Chelsea's youth development programme, and van der Kraan's four years at City convinced the west London club hierarchy that he had what it takes to lead the show. He'll link up with his former colleague Joe Shields, Chelsea's Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent, and another former Manchester City Academy figure.

Liam Rosenior, Strasbourg

Liam Rosenior was sacked by Hull City at the end of the 2023/24 after a disappointing finish; they failed to reach the play-offs despite having a host of talented attacking players in their ranks including Fabio Carvalho and Jean Michael Seri. However, it hasn't taken him long to get back in the managerial game, taking on the role of manager at Ligue 1 outfit RC Strasbourg, who finished 13th in the French top flight last season and will be looking to kick on with their young, promising new coach. The French club are no strangers to appointing well-known figures within the English game, having previously given Patrick Vieira the job last summer. But it will be a tough task for Rosenior, who has no prior experience coaching abroad.

Javier Aguirre, Mexico

After an extremely disappointing Copa America campaign, the Mexico men's national team have wasted no time in bringing in a fresh face to address the team's key issues. And Javier Aguirre's face is a familiar one; this will be his third time in the dugout for Mexico, and this time he'll have experienced former captain Rafael Marquez with him as assistant coach. It's a duo that is likely to restore faith amongst plenty of fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which Mexico will be co-hosting alongside the United States of America and Canada.

Nick Stanley, Norwich City

Following the recent departure of Andrew Hughes to Leicester City, Championship side Norwich City have pulled off a bit of a coup in bringing in former Brighton & Hove Albion set piece specialist Nick Stanley as their new Set Piece Coach. Stanley was with the Seagulls for 12 years, spending five of those focused on set pieces and working alongside respected coaches such as Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi. The former described him as "ambitious… very intelligent, very hard-working", and his role in establishing Brighton as a strong Premier League outfit should not be underestimated.

Colin Kazim-Richards, Arsenal

37-year-old former Premier League striker Colin Kazim-Richards — whose 20-year career saw him play for a number of clubs across Europe including Feyenoord, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Sheffield United and Derby County — has joined Arsenal as a youth coach. Kazim-Richards spent three years in the Gunners' academy as a youngster and will now start giving back to the club in a professional capacity where he'll be based at Hale End, Arsenal's youth development centre. He most recently played for Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk in 2023, and now appears ready to transition into coaching. "It is an honour to join a club so renowned for its dedication to excellence and development," he posted on X.

Ben Dawson, Leicester City

On 25th July it was announced that Newcastle United First Team Development Coach Ben Dawson has left the Toon to join newly promoted Premier League side Leicester City in a first team coaching role. Joining up with Steve Cooper for the new campaign, he'll bring a wealth of experience with him having spent ten years at Newcastle in various roles including Under 21s Lead Coach, Academy Head of Coaching, Professional Development Coach and most recently First Team Development Coach. His former Academy Director Steve Harper thanked Dawson for his efforts, claiming the new opportunity "is testament to his work ethic and to the excellent coach development work at our Academy."

Jon De Souza, QPR

It has been a rocky couple of years at Queens Park Rangers, but last season the west London side again managed to avoid relegation from the Championship. As they put in place the building blocks for the 2024/25 campaign, plenty is going on behind the scenes to try to change their fortunes. Their latest appointment sees Jon De Souza come in as the club's first Head of Methodoly. This role involves overseeing implementation of their game model and coaching methodology across the men's and women's teams and the Academy. Developing players is a key part of this position, and De Souza has experience in this area having previously worked directly for the Premier League as Coaching Pathways Manager, a role he secured after impressive work in the Academy set-ups of clubs like Luton Town, Brentford, and Colchester United.

Mark Hudson, Ipswich Town

Newly promoted Premier League outfit Ipswich Town have bolstered their backroom team with the appointment of Mark Hudson as First Team Set Play Coach. The 42-year-old former Premier League defender had spells at Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace and Cardiff City during his player career, and he transitioned into coaching at Huddersfield after retirement. Now, he'll be tasked with helping Ipswich make the most from set piece situations as they embark on their first top flight campaign in over 20 years. He joins from Sheffield United, where he was a part of the coaching staff last season.

Max Rogers, Wigan Athletic

Following the departure of Graham Barrow last week, EFL League One side Wigan Athletic have announced that Max Rogers will take over as Assistant Manager for the new season. He'll work under Shaun Maloney, who was appointed manager in January. When Maloney came in, Rogers was working as First Team Coach, but now he'll step up to the more senior assistant position. "I am really pleased for Max Rogers," said the manager. "He has shown an incredible work ethic over the last 18 months and fully deserves the opportunity."