Liverpool will look to hire former forward Dirk Kuyt as an assistant to head coach Arne Slot this summer, as per reports. The Reds are set for a minor backroom shake-up after former assistant John Heitinga left the club at the end of the 2024-25 season.
A report from Liverpool Echo has revealed that Kuyt is under consideration for the vacant assistant coach role at his former club. The Dutchman is expected to be out of a job soon, having failed to keep Beerschot in the Belgian Pro League this season.
Arne Slot is currently without an assistant after former Everton defender John Heitinga decided to complete a return to Ajax in his native Netherlands. He accepted a two-year contract to replace Francesco Farioli after the Italian stepped down after leading the side to a second-place finish this season. Heitinga has previously been in charge of Ajax as an interim manager for a brief spell in 2023.
Dirk Kuyt is a cult hero at Anfield, having played 285 games for the club between 2006 and 2012, when he was on their books. Shortly after his retirement, he enjoyed a brief period where he worked with Slot for a week while the Liverpool boss was in charge of Feyenoord.
Slot will be happy to bring Kuyt back to the club, seeing as he is aware of the culture at the club and will be more connected to the fans. The Dutchman will have big shoes to fill, however, as Heitinga proved to be a capable assistant to Slot, helping him secure the league title in his first try.
Liverpool have reached an agreement to sell goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to Premier League side Brentford this summer, as per Fabrizio Romano. The Reds were keen to part ways with the Irish goalkeeper, who was approached by a number of sides this summer.
Arne Slot’s side will receive a fee of £18 million for the 26-year-old goalkeeper, who was set to enter into the final year of his contract with the club. He will directly replace Mark Flekken at the GTech Stadium after the goalkeeper agreed on a move to Bayer Leverkusen.
Kelleher has been at Liverpool since 2015, having joined the academy as a teenager from his native Ireland. The arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili at the club this summer has pushed him to leave the club after a sustained period as backup to Alisson.
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