Staff Roundup: June 2026
In recent weeks, the attention of football supporters across the globe has been firmly focused on the World Cup currently being staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 48-team tournament is a huge expanded affair spread across three vast countries, and it has unsurprisingly generated headline after headline.
But behind the scenes, clubs are firmly focused on the new season, and are working hard to get the right staff members in place. From coaches to sporting directors, and even a surprising new Head of artificial intelligence at one English club, below we've rounded up all the most interesting professional football appointments that have been confirmed in June 2026.
Hervé Renard, Tunisia
The international game is usually a far more stable managerial landscape than club level, with fewer chops and changes; however, the appointment of veteran international coach Hervé Renard as the new Tunisia boss following their dire start to the 2026 tournament bucked the trend.
Unfortunately, the ex-Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and France women's manager has struggled to turn around the team's fortunes, and they ultimately exited the tournament with a whimper following three heavy defeats by Sweden, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Andoni Iraola, Liverpool
Highly rated Basque coach Andoni Iraola's decision to leave Bournemouth, having just guided them to European qualification for the first time ever, was slightly baffling to many Premier League fans. It seemed like a job back home in Spain was on the horizon; then, Liverpool's sacking of Arne Slot paved the way for a huge move to one of Europe's biggest clubs.
Iraola's appointment as Liverpool head coach was confirmed in early June, with the 43-year-old signing a two-year deal with the 2024/25 Premier League champions. He inherits a talented but disjointed squad and will be tasked with making them title challengers again following a serious drop-off in form last season.
Marco Rose, Bournemouth
Marco Rose's appointment as the replacement for Andoni Iraola was announced back in April, in a move that showed just how well-run AFC Bournemouth is. The German officially started work on 4 June and will be an extremely valuable asset ahead of the club's first-ever Europa League season.
Rose has bags of top coaching experience; he made his name at RB Salzburg, took Borussia Mönchengladbach to the Champions League, and guided Borussia Dortmund to a second-place finish before moving to RB Leipzig and winning two domestic cups with the East German club. His player development record is impressive, and he's known for an aggressive, high-pressing system that Bournemouth fans are likely to get on board with quickly.
Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Jose Mourinho's days of elite-level management were over. His cautious and at times predictable tactics, and his volatile personality, has meant that the types of jobs the legendary Portuguese coach has been offered in recent years are not quite as prestigious as they once were.
However, that all changed on June 11, when Real Madrid announced Mourinho's appointment as their new manager on a three-year deal. The two-time Champions League winner has been brought in to galvanise a hugely under-performing group that's been in disarray for months; his aura and personality will be crucial in turning Los Blancos — who he previously managed between 2010 and 2013 — into La Liga title contenders once more.
Marco Silva, Benfica
Mourinho's departure left a hole in the dugout at Benfica, where the 63-year-old had been in charge since 2025. For a replacement, the Portuguese club turned to the Premier League. Marco Silva's long stint at Fulham has seen the west London club go from Championship play-off contenders to an established mid-table Premier League club capable of regularly challenging and beating the best teams in the country.
His work didn't go unnoticed, and he's been handed a two-year contract at Portugal's most decorated club, Benfica, who have won the Primeira Liga on 38 occasions.
Alvaro Arbeloa, Fulham
The appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as Fulham's new head coach completes an interesting managerial triangle between Madrid, Benfica and the west London outfit. The former Madrid head coach was widely viewed as a strong youth-level operator at Los Blancos, even if last year he struggled to bring together a squad rife with division and infighting.
Now, Arbeloa makes a return to the Premier League, where he played with Liverpool between 2007 and 2009, and for West Ham in 2017 before his retirement. While Arbeloa hasn't been officially unveiled yet, The Athletic reported in mid-June that he was in advanced talks with Fulham and the move is likely to be confirmed soon.
Ruben Amorim, AC Milan
Ruben Amorim's time at Manchester United was defined by frustration, underperformance and an unusual communication style — Michael Carrick's impressive stint in his wake has undoubtedly worsened Amorim's reputation in the Premier League.
The Portuguese tactician still has plenty of clout in Europe though, as his appointment to replace Max Allegri at AC Milan shows. According to Sky Sports Allegri was sacked due to his failure to qualify for the Champions League, something Amorim will be tasked with addressing.
Carles Martínez Novell, Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso's former club Bayer Leverkusen haven't been able to emulate the success brought during the Spaniard's reign; they'll be hoping the appointment of Carles Martínez Novell as head coach will change things.
The Catalan has a great track record in youth development, having presided over several La Masia teams, and most recently managed Toulouse, helping the French club punch above their weight thanks to a programme of clever data-led recruitment and youth player development.
Pierre Sage, Crystal Palace
Replacing Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace will be a difficult job: the Austrian spearheaded the most successful two seasons in the club's history, winning the FA Cup, the UEFA Conference League, and the Community Shield.
The man tasked with this job is Pierre Sage, a French coach known for his successful spells at Lyon and Lens, where in 2026, he masterminded a first-ever Coupe De France title as well as qualification for the Champions League.
Gary O'Neil, Ipswich Town
The shock departure of highly rated coach Kieran McKenna for personal reasons left a gaping hole at Ipswich as the Suffolk club prepares for a return to the Premier League.
His replacement is a man with experience in keeping teams in the division: Gary O'Neil. The former Wolves and Bournemouth coach spent the tail end of last season at Strasbourg, but unsurprisingly jumped at the chance to return to the English top flight.
César Peixoto, Wolves
Rob Edwards seemed geared up to lead Wolves into a new Championship season following relegation from the Premier League, but the board decided to give him the boot and bring in Portuguese coach César Peixoto from Primeira Liga outfit Gil Vicente.
According to the club, "he is young, energetic and ambitious, but he is also thoughtful, accountable and willing to challenge himself and those around him in pursuit of improvement." Having managed a sixth-place finish in the Portuguese top flight last campaign, he'll be aiming to take Wolves back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Ben Stevens, Swansea City
Another Championship club looking to set up a strong backroom team ahead of the new season is Swansea City, who announced the appointment of their new sporting director Ben Stevens earlier this month. He arrived from Crystal Palace, where he had been assistant sporting director since 2024.
Tony D'Amico, AS Roma
Tony D'Amico has joined Serie A outfit AS Roma as sporting director after impressing within the same role at Atalanta. The Italian takes over from Frederic Massara and will be responsible for elevating the squad and preparing the club for Champions League football for the first time since 2018/19.
Alessio Dionisi, Watford
On 15 June, Italian coach Alessio Dionisi was confirmed as Watford's long-term replacement for Ed Still (the brother of Will Still, who departed the club in May). Dionisi was most recently at Serie B club Empoli, and also worked at Sassuolo previously. He heads into a Championship stacked with clubs looking to finish in the expanded six-team play-off structure.
Tony Mowbray, Blackburn
Former Blackburn, West Brom, Sunderland and Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray is a legend of Championship football, and Blackburn fans will be pleased to see him return to his old club after health problems forced him away from football for two years. Mowbray is a smart tactician and man-manager, and he played a key role in setting up Sunderland for an impressive return to the Premier League.
Aaron Ramsey, Oxford United
Having announced his retirement from professional football just two weeks ago, after a highly decorated career playing for Wales, Arsenal, Cardiff City and more, Aaron Ramsey has transitioned into the world of coaching. Ahead of the new campaign, he'll take charge of League One outfit Oxford United, who suffered relegation from the Championship last term and will be aiming for a return to the second tier.
Simon Wilson, Sheffield Wednesday
Last season was one to forget for Sheffield Wednesday: facing an ownership crisis, they were docked a total of 18 points after going into administration, and finished rock bottom of the Championship. Back in League One, they've now moved to a sporting director structure and appointed Simon Wilson as the man to lead the charge. He previously worked in similar roles against the City Football Group network.
Alan Curbishley, Charlton Athletic
Two decades after leaving The Valley, ex-Charlton manager Alan Curbishley is back at his old club in a surprise new role: head of artificial intelligence. His focus will be on overseeing Charlton's AI strategy, and a few details about exactly what that entails have been released.
"Supporters can look forward to a series of innovations under Curbishley's leadership, including AI-generated post-match interviews, predictive matchday pie consumption modelling and a revolutionary system capable of accurately forecasting whether a referee's decision will frustrate Charlton fans," the club said.