Bulletin Board
Who’s in, who’s out and what’s available
January 30, 2026
Barton promoted to Head of Data by Norwich
James Barton has been promoted to Head of Data and Insight by Norwich City.
Barton has worked for Norwich for the last four-and-a-half years, having joined in July 2021 from wealth management firm Quilter, where he was Lead Analyst.
For the last 20 months he has been Data and Digital Manager for the club. Norwich have been strengthening their data-led approach under Sporting Director Ben Knapper and also utilise external analytics consultancy src:ftbl, led by Sarah Rudd.
Norwich City’s majority shareholder Mark Attanasio is in the process of acquiring the analytics company through his parent company Norfolk Holdings, although the deal is not yet finalised.
January 29, 2026
Stead returns to Huddersfield as First Team Coach
Jon Stead has returned to Huddersfield Town to complete Liam Manning’s first-team coaching staff.
Stead was born and raised in Huddersfield and played for the Terriers in two separate stints after graduating from their Academy, making a total of 100 appearances and scoring 27 goals.
The 42-year-old has coached at senior level at Hartford Athletic, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Barnsley and most recently Bristol Rovers. At Huddersfield he will be First Team Coach and work alongside Martin Drury, James Krause, Chris Elliott and the wider First Team staff.
Sporting Director Chris Markham said: “Jon is obviously no stranger to us, and he was proactive in making his interest in rejoining the Club known after it became clear that there would be changes to our coaching team.
“Most importantly, Jon has thrust himself into coaching since retirement, and taken on opportunities both in England and abroad that has helped him establish himself as a highly thought of professional.”
January 28, 2026
Assistant Carr leaves Bristol Rovers
Rhys Carr has left his position as Assistant at Bristol Rovers after seven months.
The former Coventry City First Team Coach and Interim Head Coach joined Rovers in June 2025 when Darrell Clarke was Manager. Clarke was replaced by Steve Evans in December and Rovers remain in a relegation fight, placed 22nd in League Two.
In a statement, the club said: “Everyone at Bristol Rovers would like to thank Rhys for his hard work during his time with the club, and wish him every success in his future career.”
Carr is currently completing his UEFA Pro Licence and is also a qualified Sports Scientist. He has held coaching roles at both Academy and first-team level for clubs including Cardiff City, Bristol City, Sheffield United and Wolves, as well as founding the popular Soccer Science Conference.
He is a TGG Member and you can see his Personal Profile HERE.
January 23, 2026
Brentford appoint First Team Training Analyst
Benjamin Chevreau has joined Brentford in the new role of First Team Training Analyst.
Chevreau has had dual roles for the last two-and-a-half years – as Tournament Football Analyst for FIFA and U21s Performance Analyst for Arsenal Women.
At Brentford he will report into Head of Analysis Josh Kirk. His role will involve: ensuring that training sessions are filmed with drones or cameras; coding and tagging training sessions; producing training reports, clips and insights; live session support and post-session reviews; giving tactical and performance feedback to coaches.
Writing on LinkedIn, Chevreau said: “I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and staff and look forward to continuing my development at this forward thinking, progressive club.”
January 16, 2026
Jémez joins Nuno’s backroom staff at West Ham
Nuno Espírito Santo has added former Deportivo La Coruña team-mate Paco Jémez to his West Ham staff as First Team Coach.
The Spaniard has managed has managed more than 500 matches during a coaching career spanning nearly two decades. The former centre-back was capped 21 times by Spain and made more than 250 appearances in La Liga, including at Deportivo La Coruña.
He moved into coaching in 2007 and has led clubs in Spain, Mexico and Iran, including five years at Rayo Vallecano, where he led the club to a record-high eighth-place finish in La Liga in 2012/13.
Subject to a successful work permit application, Jémez will join a backroom team of First Team Coaches Mark Robson, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville and Goalkeeper Coaches Rui Barbosa and Billy Lepine.
January 14, 2026
Dodds joins Oxford as Bloomfield Assistant
Former Wycombe Manager Mike Dodds has been appointed as Matt Bloomfield’s Assistant at Oxford United
Dodds, 39, was in charge at Wycombe from February 2025 before being sacked seven months later following a poor start to the club’s League One campaign. He has also been Head of Individual Player Development and Interim Head Coach at Sunderland and Academy Manager at Birmingham City.
Ben Cirne has also joined Oxford as Coach-Analyst, having previously worked alongside Bloomfield at Colchester United, Wycombe and Luton.
Assistant Craig Short, Goalkeeper Coach Lewis Price and Head of Individual Development Chris Hackett all remain at the club to serve on Bloomfield’s staff.
The new Head Coach, who was previously in charge at Wycombe and Luton, officially joined Oxford on Friday, succeeding Gary Rowett.
January 12, 2026
Preston promoted to Head of Football Operations by Forest
Harry Preston has been promoted to Head of Football Operations at Nottingham Forest.
Preston joined the club in September 2022 and has been First Team Operations Manager since July 2023, overseeing match-day logistics and team schedules.
Writing on LinkedIn, he said: “Having joined the club four seasons ago now, it’s been a privilege to contribute to the club’s progress over that time, and I’m grateful for the trust and support shown in me to step into this role.”
Preston replaces Ed Henderson, who has left Forest after seven-and-a-half years. He said: “As I look ahead to the next challenge of my career, I take with me memories I’ll never forget, including promotion to the Premier League and qualification for European competition.”
January 4, 2026
Stafford promoted to First Team Sports Scientist by Arsenal
Lee Stafford has been promoted to First Team Sports Scientist at Arsenal.
Stafford joined the Gunners as Under-21 Academy Sports Scientist in January 2024 after seven-and-a-half years at Watford.
In 2021, Stafford spoke to TGG about how the Hornets use GPS.
January 4, 2026
U21s boss Welsh leaves Preston to join Barrow
John Welsh has left his role as Under-21s boss at Preston North End to join League Two Barrow as Assistant to Paul Gallagher.
Welsh has a long association with PNE, stretching back to his time as a midfielder for them from 2012 to 2018.
In total he made 176 appearances for the club and played a big part in their promotion back to the Championship in 2014/15.
Welsh returned to North End in October 2021 as Youth Development Phase Lead and became Lead Senior Professional Development Phase (U21 coach) in September 2025.
Gallagher was appointed as Barrow’s new Head Coach on January 2nd, replacing Andy Whing. He knows Welsh from his time as a player and First Team Coach and Caretaker Manager at Preston.
December 28, 2025
Griffiths promoted to Physical Performance Coach by Arsenal
Toby Griffiths has been promoted to First Team Physical Performance Coach by Arsenal.
Griffiths joined the Gunners from London rivals West Ham in August 2024 as Under-21s Physical Performance Coach.
He is the latest in a long line of staff who have been promoted within Arsenal’s performance department in recent years. Sam Wilson stepped up from First Team Strength and Conditioning Coach to Lead Physical Performance Coach in July 2022.
And Eoin Clarkin was promoted from Lead Rehab S&C Coach with Arsenal Women to Lead Men’s First Team S&C Coach in July 2024.
Arsenal’s performance department is led by Head of Sport Science and Performance Tom Allen, who was himself promoted from Lead Sports Scientist in July 2022.
December 23, 2025
Rehman leaves Portsmouth for Saudi role
First Team Development Coach Zesh Rehman has left Portsmouth to take up a new position in Saudi Arabia.
The former Fulham, QPR and Bradford defender arrived at Pompey in the summer of 2022 to become Lead Professional Development Phase Coach before stepping up to the senior side.
During his time in the role, the Blues secured the League One title and then survived in the Championship last season.
“After three-and-a-half wonderful years at Pompey, it’s time for a new chapter,” Rehman said. “Thank you to everyone at the club for the wonderful memories.
“I will always the appreciate the opportunity I was given by (Director of Football) Richard Hughes and (Chief Executive) Andy Cullen to transition from the Academy to the first team.
“The journey from winning League One to maintaining Championship status was special to be a part of.”
Manager John Mousinho added: “We’re disappointed to say goodbye to Zesh, but understand that he wanted to take up an exciting new challenge.
“He’s been an integral part of the coaching team ever since I arrived at the club – a diligent worker who is popular with players and staff alike.”
December 20, 2025
Weir promoted to Head of Psychology by Villa
Emma Weir has been promoted to Head of Performance Psychology at Aston Villa.
Weir has worked for the Villains for more than six years, since joining as Academy Psychologist in November 2019.
Before this she worked in the Para Performance Programme with the Football Association.
December 10, 2025
Silva returns to Wolves as Edwards’ Assistant
Rui Pedro Silva has returned to Wolves as Assistant to Head Coach Rob Edwards, completing his backroom staff.
Silva spent four years at Molineux as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Assistant from 2017 to 2021, during which time he worked closely with Edwards, who was Under-23s Head Coach.
After a short spell as Head Coach of Famalicao in the Portuguese top flight, Silva reunited with Nuno at Nottingham Forest. However, the Portuguese has only taken one member of staff with him to West Ham – Rui Barbosa, the Goalkeeper Coach who worked with him at Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Wolves, Porto, Al-Ittihad and Rio Ave.
Silva joins fellow Assistants Harry Watling and Paul Trollope on Edwards’ coaching staff.
“Rui’s got huge experience and knows the club inside out,” Edwards said. “He played a big, big role in the success of recent years and we got on really well, so we’ve always stayed in touch. It just makes complete sense and it’s a big coup for us to get Rui on to the staff.
“He’ll add so much value, not just with football knowledge and tactics, but also from a communication point of view. He’ll help us with his language skills and that’ll be a huge plus. He brings loads of good qualities, experience, tactical knowledge and understanding.
“When I was doing the 23s, it was him I spoke to most.”
December 7, 2025
Unwin leaves Chelsea after 12 years
Senior Data Analyst Fabian Unwin is leaving Chelsea after more than 12 years.
Unwin, who is a former Sergeant in the Norwegian Air Force, joined the Blues in June 2013. For eight years he was Loan Player Analyst, using video and data to track the progress of the club’s loan players.
Since December 2022 he has been Senior Analyst, employing analytics to “empower decision-makers and key stakeholders to make informed, data-driven and evidence-based decisions.”
Writing on LinkedIn, Unwin said: “After more than 12 incredible years at Chelsea, it’s time for me to move on. I feel privileged to have been part of an era where the club achieved every major trophy at least once.
“My journey has taken me across a variety of disciplines – from scouting and performance analysis to helping establish the pioneering loan player programme, and later contributing to the creation and growth of the centralised data team into the fully-fledged and innovative department it is today.
“Most importantly, I’ve had the chance to work with and learn from so many brilliant and inspiring people that I will always be grateful to.
“I wish the club nothing but success for what I know will be a very bright future.”
December 3, 2025
Goalkeeper Coach Alcock becomes latest addition at Wolves
Wolves have appointed Danny Alcock as their Goalkeeper Coach.
Alcock previously worked with new Wolves Head Coach Rob Edwards when both were with the Football Association (FA), where Alcock spent three years as National Goalkeeping Coach.
After retiring from playing, he started his coaching career with Stoke City’s Academy in 2011 and after working for the FA, he spent more than two years in charge of the goalkeeping department at Nottingham Forest.
Last season, Alcock was a First Team Coach at Leicester City and had a brief spell as Interim First Team Manager while also leading the goalkeeping department.
In the summer he became a Goalkeeper Expert Consultant at UEFA and also joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah as Head of Goalkeeping.
Alcock replaces Ricardo Silva, who left the club with previous Head Coach Vitor Pereira, and joins Paul Trollope and Harry Watling in Edwards’ backroom team.
November 29, 2025
Carr leaves Man City to become Tottenham U18s Lead
Jamie Carr has left Manchester City after seven years to become the new Under-18s Coach at Tottenham.
The 34-year-old was most recently U16s Head Coach and U18s Assistant at City.
Academy Director Simon Davies said: “We’re delighted to have Jamie on board. He arrives with a wealth of coaching experience, which has included working around the Professional Development Phase at Manchester City, where he’s made a positive impact on the journeys of a number of elite players.
“He’s a fantastic coach and, crucially, a fantastic person, meaning he’s an excellent fit for our Academy.”
Carr added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Spurs, a fantastic club with a rich history of developing young players. We have so much exciting young talent here and we’re in a great place already with the U18s, so I look forward to integrating with the team of staff and players and helping to continue the incredible work that’s taking place.”
He replaces Stuart Lewis, who stepped up to become First Team Transition Coach in the summer. Head of Coaching Joe Staunton, who had stepped in for Lewis on an interim basis, will support Carr, along with U18s Assistants Bradley Allen and Chris Riley.
Carr has made headlines away from the training ground in recent years, with two incredible charity expeditions. He ran six ultra-marathons in six days across the Sahara Desert in 2022, before completing a 3,000-mile 54-day solo row across the Atlantic Ocean in 2023.
November 26, 2025
Selini joins Middlesbrough coaching staff
David Selini has continued his working partnership with Kim Hellberg by following him to Middlesbrough to become Assistant Head Coach.
Hellberg has been appointed Head Coach of the Championship club in place of Rob Edwards, who moved to Wolves.
Selini first linked up with Hellberg in 2021 at Swedish club Sylvia, before they spent two seasons at IFL Varnamo. In 2023, the pair moved on to Hammarby – leading them to consecutive second-place finishes in the Allsvenskan.
Before moving to Sylvia, he coached part-time while also working as an Interrogator at the Swedish Police Department.
He also founded and ran a football blog called Running The Show.
Adi Viveash, who stepped in as Interim Head Coach after Edwards left, will remain on the club’s coaching staff.
November 26, 2025
Wycombe appoint Hibbert as first Set Piece Coach
Wycombe Wanderers have appointed Dave Hibbert as their first Set Piece Coach.
Hibbert arrives after more than 11 years in various roles with Stoke City – with his most recent one as Lead Professional Development Phase Coach for the Under-21s. Before moving into coaching, he played as a striker for Port Vale, Preston North End, Shrewsbury Town and Peterborough United before ending his career in non-league football.
Tom Stockwell, the League One club’s Director of Football Strategy, commented: “We’re really pleased to bring Dave to the club to work in our first-team staff, but to also align our set-piece strategy across the whole club.”
Hibbert said on LinkedIn that he was “excited and grateful to be joining such a forward-thinking club with huge ambition and great staff”.
He told Wycombe’s website: “We’re keen to implement some of the stuff that we’ve been doing through the data that we’ve been using [at Stoke]. I’ve been looking at the data and we haven’t conceded many from defensive set plays, but where we can get better is attacking corners.”
November 22, 2025
Hussey leaving Newport County to join FAW
Academy Manager Luke Hussey is leaving Newport County to become an Elite Coach Educator with the Football Association of Wales.
Hussey joined Category Three Newport as Head of Coaching in August 2022 and was quickly promoted to Academy Manager.
Before that he was Head of Coaching at Bristol City and spoke to TGG for this 2021 article.
November 19, 2025
Wright becomes Director of Football at AFC Totton
Former Brighton and Hove Albion Academy Recruitment Manager David Wright has been named the new Director of Football at National League South side AFC Totton.
He succeeds James Beattie at the club, who were promoted from the Southern League Premier Division South via the play-offs last season.
Wright has more than 20 years’ experience in the professional game. He left Brighton after six years in December, after setting up their Academy’s national recruitment structure and revamping their local recruitment. He has also been Academy Director at Stoke City and Head of Recruitment and Football Performance at Portsmouth and since leaving the Seagulls has been helping Southampton with their national recruitment of young players.
He will work closely with First Team Manager Jimmy Ball, with whom he has worked before, to support all aspects of football strategy, recruitment and player development to ensure alignment across the club.
Wright said: “I’m delighted to be joining AFC Totton at such an exciting stage in the club’s journey. The progress made here in recent years has been outstanding and I’m looking forward to building on that.”
Chairman Kevin Hebenton said: “We are delighted that AFC Totton has been able to attract someone of Dave’s calibre.”