Liverpool have seen a club analyst join Man City after 13 years at Anfield, forming part of the summer overhaul under Pep Guardiola.
The Reds finished 13 points ahead of a struggling Man City in 2024/25, who left it late to confirm their Champions League status for next season.
Three of Guardiola’s assistant coaches all departed the Etihad in a sizeable shake-up which will also see Jurgen Klopp‘s former assistant, Pep Lijnders, join City imminently.
The change in personnel continues behind the scenes with the Athletic‘s James Pearce reporting City have appointed Liverpool’s opposition analyst James French.
French, who has already left the club, had been with the Reds since 2012, was hired under Brendan Rodgers before taking on a key role under Jurgen Klopp and subsequently Arne Slot.
He will now take up a role dedicated to set-piece coaching and analysis at the Etihad, leaving Liverpool with another key vacancy to fill in the coming weeks and months.
The club are already on the hunt for a new assistant coach after John Heitinga left to lead Ajax, a new Under-18s boss and a new women’s manager – plus a new vice-captain needs appointing.
A set-piece specialist could also be back on the agenda for Slot’s backroom staff.
• READ: LFC fans have mixed reaction as Lijnders agrees to join Man City
It represents a busy summer on and off the pitch for the club, who are intent on building on their Premier League success.
City’s appointment of French comes after FSG and Liverpool successfully lured their director of football data, Laurie Shaw, to Anfield as the club’s chief scientist.
As for Lijnders’ decision to work under Guardiola, that appointment is expected to be announced in the coming days after Salzburg officially announced his contract had been terminated.
City are one of the 32 teams taking part in the new FIFA Club World Cup this summer, which begins later this month in the USA.
That could see former Red Trent Alexander-Arnold come up against his former coach in Lijnders should City face Real Madrid in the latter stages.
