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Staff Roundup: The Key Appointments in World Football - May 30 to June 13

15 Jun, 2025
Staff Roundup: The Key Appointments in World Football - May 30 to June 13

On the pitch, it's been a quiet couple of weeks in the world of football. Other than the last major showpiece event in the football calendar, the UEFA Champions League final, very little football has been played, and most players are now enjoying a well-earned break.

But behind the scenes, things are busier than ever as owners, sporting directors, executives and coaching staff scramble to assemble the highest-quality teams possible ahead of the 2025/26 season. For those in charge of making key club appointments, the work never stops. T

hat's why in our first biweekly staff roundup of the summer, we'll be guiding you through some of the most significant changes that have taken place behind the scenes over the last fortnight, from coaches and analysts to directors and executives.

Thomas Frank, Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur's sacking of Ange Postecoglou just days after a historic Europa League win (the club's first trophy in 17 years) was deemed harsh by some fans and players, who had developed a real bond with the Australian.

His replacement Thomas Frank will need to use his wealth of top managerial experience to mount a charm offensive and win over those skeptics early on. And the Dane's track record suggests he can do that: Frank's time at Brentford was a huge success, as he hauled the west London minnows up to the top-flight for the first time in 75 years before solidifying their Premier League status, consistently beating giants of the game and even challenging for European qualification.

The job at Spurs is huge, but Frank's player development record and proven Premier League acumen will prepare him well for the task ahead.

Russell Martin, Rangers

Glasgow giants Rangers have named former Southampton, Swansea City and MK Dons boss Russell Martin as their new manager.

The 39-year-old struggled to make a positive impact on the Premier League with Southampton last season, but his replacement Ivan Juric performed even worse, and Martin received praise from some quarters for his clear philosophy and tactical rigidity.

He'll be tasked with bringing that strict possession-based brand of football to the Scottish top flight and challenging for major trophies with a competitive budget for the first time in his career.

Signing a three-year deal, he'll be joined by assistants Matt Gill and Rhys Owen, and speaking to the media after his appointment, Martin said: "I have to win. I don't think I've been the number one choice at any club I've been at. By the time we've left every team I've been at, we've formed real connection with the supporters. I hope this will be the same."

Pepijn Lijnders, Manchester City

Anyone who watched Manchester City during their subpar 2024/25 campaign knows a major restructuring was necessary this summer. Pep Guardiola has already benefited from the arrival of new signings like Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki this summer, bolstering a squad that was also improved mid-season by the arrival of Omar Mahmoush, Nico Gonzalez, and Abdukodir Khusanov.

And now, he's got a new tactician in the dugout with him to provide fresh perspectives and ideas, as the widely-renowned Dutch coach Pepijn Linders has joined City as assistant coach.

As Klopp's Number 2 during the second half of the German coach's Liverpool reign, Linders helped lead the Reds to both Champions League and Premier League glory, and while he endured a disappointing spell in charge of Red Bull Salzburg last year after leaving Liverpool, he still arrives at the Etihad with an excellent reputation.

James French, Manchester City

Linders is joined in Guardiola's backroom team by set-piece coach James French, who has plenty of experience in this area of the game having previously been in charge of set plays at Liverpool, following spells at Swansea and the Welsh FA.

According to City's Director of Football Hugo Viana, "Pepijn and James have each amassed huge experience working in their individual roles over the past few years. Their talent, application, work ethic and all-round commitment are totally aligned with the values that underpin how Pep wants football to be played."

John Heitinga, Ajax

On May 31 Ajax confirmed the appointment of Liverpool assistant John Heitinga as their new head coach. Supporting Arne Slot behind the scenes, the former Netherlands international played a key role in securing the Reds their impressive 2024/25 Premier League title, so his loss at Anfield will be a significant blow, but the opportunity to lead the Netherlands' most famous club was one he couldn't pass up.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Liverpool

Filling the gap left by Heitinga at Anfield is another legend of the Dutch game, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who has recently had spells as Head Coach at Rangers and Besiktas, and won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord back in 2017 (a feat Arne Slot repeated in 2023).

Van Bronckhorst's appointment as Slot's assistant has not been fully confirmed but numerous outlets including BBC Sport are reporting that it is a done deal. 

Igli Tare, AC Milan

Serie A heavyweights AC Milan have announced the appointment of Igli Tare as the new sporting director for the men's first team. The Albania-born director played as a pro in Italy for Brescia, Bologna, and Lazio, before taking over as sporting director of the latter club after his retirement.

Tare was at the helm for over 15 years, overseeing a successful period in which the Rome outfit secured three Coppa Italia trophies and three Italian Super Cups. On joining the Rossoneri, Tare said: "Becoming part of a club like AC Milan is a source of immense pride and responsibility.

I thank the club for entrusting me with this role. The club knows my strong determination and my desire to succeed. I will dedicate all my experience to serving this great club, which is determined to return to the forefront of Italian and European football."

Christian Chivu, Internazionale

Elsewhere in Serie A, Christian Chivu has become the new head coach of Champions League finalists Internazionale after the departure of Simone Inzaghi to join Saudi side Al-Hilal.

The Milan club had a strong season under Inzaghi but a fresh start was needed after that crushing UCL defeat to PSG, and Romanian coach Chivu — who steered Parma to Serie A survival during a brief but effective stint in charge — has been chosen to lead that reset.

Chivu signs a contract that runs until 2027, and brings a strong amount of playing and coaching experience to the role including seven years as a player for Inter.

Liam Manning, Norwich City

A dire run of form during the second half of the 2024/25 Championship season led to the sacking of Norwich City's young Danish coach Johannes Hoff Thorup in May, and on June 3rd high-flying Bristol City boss Liam Manning (who guided the Robins to an impressive play-off finish) was confirmed as his replacement.

The 39-year-old has a strong track record in the EFL and a knack for getting the best out of young players, but a major squad reset is needed at Carrow Road ahead of the new campaign.

Ryan Mason, West Bromwich Albion

Another recent Championship appointment saw former Spurs interim coach Ryan Mason become West Brom's new head coach following the departure of Tony Mowbray in April.

During his short tenure, Mowbray failed to live up to the high standards set by previous manager Carlos Corberan, whose impressive record caused Valencia to swoop in and pay a £3m release clause to the Baggies. Whether Mason, who has limited experience as a head coach, can replicate Corberan's successes, is very much up in the air.

Sergej Jakirovic, Hull City

Having sacked Ruben Selles last month after the Spaniard narrowly avoided the drop to League One, Hull City have brought in Bosnian coach Sergej Jakirovic as their new head coach.

The 48-year-old was most recently in charge of Turkish Super Lig sied Kayserispor, and while his side finished in the bottom half of the table last season, Jakirovic has enjoyed notable success in his managerial career, the high point so far being a Croatian league and cup double win with Dinamo Zagreb in 2023/24.

Steven Pressley, Dundee

Former Scotland international Steven Pressley has joined Dundee as head coach ahead of the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership season. The club narrowly avoided relegation last season and the top brass decided to sack manager Tony Docherty when the campaign came to an end, bringing in ex-Falkirk and Coventry gaffer Steven Pressley to replace him.

For the last four years, the new Dundee boss has been working at Brentford in charge of individual player development, and given the various talents that have broken through and made headlines for the Bees in recent years, you can see why Pressley has been given the opportunity to take the helm in the Scottish top-flight.

Simon Grayson, Hartlepool United

Super-experienced EFL boss Simon Grayson — whose CV includes stints at Leeds United, Sunderland, Preston, Huddersfield and Blackpool, as well as time spent abroad in India and Nepal — has landed the managerial job at Hartlepool.

The 55-year-old was described by club chairman Raj Singh as "someone who has been on our radar for a while and he's been my preferred candidate in the past when we've looked for managers, but for one reason or the other it didn't come off." That endorsement will give Grayson plenty of confidence ahead of the upcoming National League season.

Jason Euell, Andy Liddel, Tom Reeves, and Ben Smith, Preston North End

Championship outfit Preston North End have confirmed a wave of new staff members to support manager Paul Heckingbottom in their forthcoming second-tier season. Former Premier League midfielder Jason Euell joins as First Team Coach while Andy Liddel becomes Fitness Coach and Tom Reeves comes in as Chief Scout following successful stints at fellow Championship clubs Norwich City and Middlesbrough. Recruitment analyst Ben Smith has also been added to the fold.