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Biweekly Staff Roundup: July 12 - 25

25 Jul, 2025
Biweekly Staff Roundup: July 12 - 25

With the new European football season just around the corner, managerial appointments are drying up across the continent. Most clubs now have all the key members of their backroom team in place and their attention is primarily on preparing players for the campaign ahead (or bolstering the squad, for those involved in the recruitment side of things).

Of course, it's not always as simple as that, and in the last two weeks there have still been some notable appointments made by professional clubs in terms of coaching and directorship. In this article we'll be rounding up the most significant changes that have taken place in the past fortnight.

Marti Cifuentes, Leicester City

Given that even in early Spring most Premier League fans knew Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was effectively doomed, it's incredible that it took until the end of June for the Dutch coach to be formally sacked by the newly relegated Championship club.

Over a fortnight later on 15 July, Leicester became the latest second-tier side to confirm their new head coach, with the appointment of former QPR boss Marti Cifuentes.

Signing a three-year deal with the Foxes, Cifuentes becomes Leicester's sixth permanent manager in just over two years, but the Spaniard doesn't seem rattled by this high level of turnover, telling reporters "This is a fantastic club with a proud history and it's a privilege to me to be asked to help write the next chapter."

Kolo Toure, Manchester City

Former Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool centre-back Kolo Toure has been making a real name for himself in coaching circles in recent years. He's had successful first-team coaching roles at Leicester City and Celtic, and he helped deliver Man City the Premier League Under-18 North title as Assistant Lead Coach alongside Oliver Reiss last season.

Toure went on to spend time working with Manchester City at the Club World Cup in the US, and he clearly impressed during this period, as City have now made him a permanent member of Pep Guardiola's backroom staff.

Director of Football Hugo Viana said that the men's team's new first-team assistant coach would "bring his immensely precious experience at football's elite level," and also praised his "deep connection with Manchester City and deep knowledge of the club." Toure will focus primarily on transitioning talented Academy players to the first team.

Darren Fletcher, Manchester United

Another legendary retired Premier League player has also taken on a new role heavily involved in youth development. Ex-Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has been working as a coach at the club for several years, and he was recently revealed as the new lead coach for the club's Under-18s team.

This comes after the departure of Adam Lawrence, and while Lawrence's multiple trophy wins means Fletcher has big boots to fill, United's director of football Jason Wilcox seems confident in his ability to do so. "We are delighted that Darren will lead our Under-18s group," he stated. "He knows exactly what it takes to be a successful academy graduate and has played a key role in shaping the pathway for so many of our young players in recent years."

Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, Newcastle United

The departure of sporting director Paul Mitchell after less than a year in the role has led to uncertainty at Newcastle United this summer; now, with the appointment of Sudarshan Gopaladesikan as technical director, the club will be hoping for more stability.

Previously Atalanta's Director of Football Intelligence, Gopaladesikan comes in with a wealth of experience in data and analytics (he helped build up Benfica's analytics department, one of the best in Europe), so it's no surprise to hear that he'll be overseeing football data operations for Newcastle.

Announcing the news, the club detailed that he would be "working closely with Eddie Howe and his coaching staff and the club's performance, medical, analysis, methodology and recruitment teams." 

Pal Fjelde, Burnley

Set-piece coaches are all the rage in professional football these days, and newly promoted Premier League outfit Burnley announced on 24 July that Pal Fjelde had joined the club in this capacity.

The Norwegian has lots of experience working in his native country at clubs like Byrne, Viking and Staal, and he also had a stint as set-piece coach for the Norwegian Football Federation.

Scott Parker's side gained widespread plaudits for their incredible defensive record in the Championship last season (conceding just 16 goals in 46 games) and Fjelde will be tasked with ensuring extra solidity from defensive set pieces while also improving Burnley's efficacy from attacking free kicks and corners in the Premier League.

"I'm very excited," Fjelde said. "It's a huge opportunity and I'm really happy to have the trust of the manager and from the club. I think more and more clubs see the importance of set-pieces and how crucial they can be in matches, so it's important to emphasise and put the work in on them."

Andrea Pirlo, United FC

On 25 July, legendary ex-Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo was revealed as the new boss of Dubai club United FC. With the club finishing fourth in the UAE top-flight last season, this move may seem like a bit of a step down for the former Juventus manager, but after almost a year out of the game the 46-year-old is looking to rebuild his managerial career and has chosen Dubai as the place to begin that journey. 

Colin Stewart, Liverpool

There's been plenty of change behind the scenes at Liverpool this summer, from the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst as Arne Slot's new assistant to former Wales manager Rob Page's move into the Under-21s head coach role.

The latest addition to the men's team operations sees former Rangers goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart join Anfield as an additional goalkeeping specialist. A club statement read: "He will support Xavi Valero — back at Liverpool as head of first-team goalkeeper coaching — on a daily basis in working with the Reds' senior stoppers on and off the pitch.

Additionally, Stewart will oversee the loan strategies of goalkeepers who are in the process of making the step up from youth level to senior experience, serving as the link between the men's squad, loan management team and U21s group."

Matt Craddock, Sunderland

Sunderland have a huge task on their hands as they prepare for their first Premier League season in almost a decade. As well as signing players like Simon Adringa, Habib Diarra, and Enzo Le Fee, they've been assembling a strong set of coaches to support head coach Regis Le Bris.

However, youth development also remains crucial, and the recent appointment of former Bolton and Waterford assistant Matt Craddock as Professional Development Phase (PDP) coach emphasises this.

He'll be overseeing the Under-18s and Under-21s at Sunderland, "focusing on positively impacting each player within the PDP Phase)" according to Academy manager Robin Nicholls.

Stuart McLaren, Ghana Football Association

Ghana's national football association have announced that Stuart McLaren, a UEFA Pro Licensed coach who has previously worked at Stirling Albion, Celtic U18, Northern Ireland Women and Scotland Women, will join the association under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme.

A specialist FIFA Talent Coach, he'll be working with Ghana's technical director Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah to focus on boosting the development of young players in the West African nation.

Ian Jones, Birmingham City

Back in England, another UEFA Pro Licence holder has entered a new role, with ex-Burnley Head of Coaching Ian Jones joining Birmingham City as Head of Methodology and Alignment.

His most recent role was with the Professional Game Academy Audit Company, but he's now been reunited with Birmingham's Academy Technical Director Mike Rigg, who he worked with at Burnley previously.

He joins at an exciting time; the Blues have just achieved a historic promotion to the Championship with a record league points tally, and their revamped academy recently attained Category One status.

Scott Marshall, Reading

In League One, Reading have brought in ex-Charlton, Colchester, and Swindon assistant Scott Marshall as assistant manager after a pursuit of former West Brom under-21s manager Richard Beale ultimately failed.

Marshall is an experienced EFL operator and Reading manager Noel Hunt seems delighted that he's back at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for a second stint, calling him "an excellent coach with a strong tactical mind, but he's also someone who knows this club inside out and connects naturally with players and staff."

Greg Lincoln, West Ham United

Greg Lincoln, a youth team specialist who helped England's Under-19s team win the 2022 European Championships and played a key role in the development of players like Liam Delap, Jarrel Quansah, and Chelsea's new man Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, has joined Graham Potter's West Ham.

He comes in as Head of Coaching and Development, and Potter will rely on Lincoln to improve the pathway from the club's academy set-up to the first team.

Steve Kirby, West Ham United Women

The Hammers also recently confirmed the appointment of Steve Kirby as women's team assistant manager. He'll be supporting Rehanne Skinner and brings recent experience at Bristol City and Leicester City.

A sport science graduate, Kirby also specialises in youth development and told press that he is "delighted to be joining West Ham United… when the opportunity came along to work with Rehanne, I felt like it was an easy decision to make."