Bulletin Board
Who’s in, who’s out and what’s available
April 22, 2026
Barker joins Arsenal Academy recruitment team from QPR
Arsenal have added Dean Barker to the recruitment team at their Academy.
Barker has spent the past three years as the Head of Emerging Talent at QPR.
Looking back on his time in west London, he posted on X: “Huge thanks to Lee McCarthy for bringing me to the club and all the scouts for their hard work and commitment.
“PL Cup winners, youngest-ever first team squad, debuts and internationals are memories I’ll always cherish.”
Barker has also been a PE teacher for more than 20 years, working at St John’s School in Enfield, where Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri was one of his pupils.
April 18, 2026
Martin to leave Bristol Rovers after a year
Director of Football Ricky Martin is leaving Bristol Rovers after a year.
The former Stoke City Technical Director was appointed at the end of March 2025, although he did not officially begin his role until the summer (having initially been given a handover by predecessor George Friend) by which time the club had been relegated to League Two.
Martin’s time with the club was tumultuous. He appointed Darrell Clarke as Head Coach and brought in 14 players in his first transfer window (as well as nine in January 2026) but they were in the relegation zone by mid-December, having suffered 10 straight league defeats.
Martin then brought in Steve Evans and the veteran manager stabilised the club, securing safety. Rovers are now 15th in League Two.
Rovers, who have no immediate plans to appoint a replacement for Martin, said: “We would like to thank Ricky for all of his work throughout his time at the club and he will always be welcomed back at The Memorial Stadium.”
April 15, 2026
Sillett takes up National Youth Scouting Manager role at Fulham
Neil Sillett is the new National Youth Scouting Manager at Fulham.
Sillett is leading a team of national and international scouts looking for elite level targets to join the club’s Academy, working alongside their recruitment team.
He is combining the full-time role with his freelance work as Course Lead for the Football Association in co-ordinating and delivering the National FA Scouting Certificate at Level 2 and supporting tutors on Talent ID Level 3.
Sillett previously spent five years as an Elite Performance Scout for the Scottish Football Association and two years as Technical Director for Puerto Rico FC in the North American Soccer League.
April 15, 2026
Fitness Coach De la Torre to leave Bournemouth
Fitness coach Pablo de la Torre will follow Head Coach Andoni Iraola in leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season.
De la Torre joined the Cherries with Iraola in the summer of 2023, having previously worked with him at Rayo Vallecano in Spain.
Iraola also brought his Vallecano Assistant Inigo Perez with him when he took over at the Vitality Stadium, but he was unable to stay because of work visa issues.
The rest of his Bournemouth backroom team was made up of the coaching staff who were already at the club when he arrived.
April 9, 2026
Furlong joins Watford as U21s coach
Former Watford striker Paul Furlong, who left QPR after 14 years in December, has joined the Hornets as Under-21s coach.
The former striker was Watford’s top scorer in 1992/93 and 1993/94 and his sale to Chelsea in 1994 for £2.3m helped generate funds to build the Rookery Stand.
“I really enjoyed my time here as a player and it’s a dream come true to be coming back,” Furlong said. “We have some top-quality players here, with good physical attributes, and I’m really encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.
“A couple have played for the first team recently and that’s what we want to do – produce players for Watford Football Club.”
Head of Coaching Micah Hyde, who previously worked with Furlong at QPR, added: “I’m really pleased to get Paul into the Academy to work with Adrian and the U21s. He has a wealth of experience and a strong track record, and I’m sure he’ll be a great addition to the club.
“He understands the culture and values of Watford and I’m looking forward to seeing the positive impact he can have.”
Furlong served for 14 years in QPR’s Academy, latterly as Development Squad (17s to 21s) Head Coach, before leaving in December. He had originally joined the club as a part-time coach in 2011.
March 30, 2026
Duo leave Tottenham along with Tudor
Goalkeeping Coach Tomislav Rogic and Physical Coach Riccardo Ragnacci have both left Tottenham following the sacking of Interim Head Coach Igor Tudor.
The duo both came in with the Croatian in February, having worked with him previously in Italy. The third member of staff to arrive with Tudor – former Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham Assistant Bruno Saltor – is taking charge of Tottenham until a replacement for Tudor is appointed.
Meanwhile, five assistants who joined the first-team staff under Thomas Frank in the summer are staying on:
– Andreas Georgson (Assistant and Set Piece Coach)
– Cameron Campbell (Individual Development Coach)
– Fabian Otte (Goalkeeping Coach)
– Stuart Lewis (Transition Coach)
– Dean Brill (Assistant Goalkeeper Coach)
March 20, 2026
Lloyd promoted to Head of Academy at Port Vale
Danny Lloyd has been promoted to Head of Academy at Port Vale.
Lloyd has held the role on an interim basis following the departure of Will Ryder after four-and-a-half years at the start of February.
Lloyd joined Port Vale from Rochdale in August 2022, initially as YDP Lead and Assistant Head of Coaching. He progressed to become Head of Coach and Player Development and then Head of Academy Football.
“I’ve been at the club for nearly four seasons now, and it’s been a journey that I’m really proud of,” he said. “That progression reflects the opportunities the club has given me and the belief they’ve had in the work we’ve been doing within the Academy.
“I’d also like to thank Will for the work he did with the Academy and for the support he gave me during my time working alongside him. It was a really valuable period for my own development.
Meanwhile, Stuart Leicester will now take the Head of Coaching role across the full pathway, from Under-9s to U18s, while Chris Stirk has moved into the role of Head of Recruitment & Registrations.
The Foundation Phase, which will now include the U12 age group, will be led by James Wilcock. The Youth Development Phase will now include the U13s and will be led by Stephen Leyland as Phase Lead and Assistant Head of Coaching. Leyland will be supported by Nathan Lamey, who will take on the role of U13 to U15 Technical Lead.
March 11, 2026
Jones lands Head of Performance Analysis job at Wigan
Wigan Athletic have appointed Lauren Jones as their Head of Performance Analysis.
Jones moves from fellow League One club Exeter City, where she had worked in the identical role for the past two years.
Her football career began with an Academy Performance Analysis internship at AFC Bournemouth for the 2016/17 season and she spent the first half of the following campaign as a Technical Data Analyst at West Bromwich Albion.
She returned to Bournemouth at the start of 2018 and spent two years with the club as full-time Lead Academy Performance Analyst.
From there, she had two spells with Southampton – the first as PDP Performance Analyst and the second as First Team Opposition Analyst – with a brief spell as First Team Performance Analyst at Forest Green Rovers in-between.
She joined Exeter after leaving the Saints for a second time.
March 11, 2026
Arsenal appoint Man City’s Ibarra as Men’s First Team Nutritionist
Arsenal have appointed Manchester City's Academy Performance Nutritionist Pamela Ibarra as their new Men's First Team Nutritionist.
Ibarra had been at City for two years, starting as an Assistant Nutritionist in the Academy in February 2024 before being promoted the following January.
She also spent five months with Everton on an internship as Performance Nutrionist for the Women’s First Team in 2023 and had two years as a Performance Nutrition Advisor on a part-time basis for Ice Hockey UK.
Writing on LinkedIn, Ibarra said: “I’m very grateful to be given this opportunity and excited for the journey ahead alongside an exceptional team.”
March 6, 2026
Mowbray returns to Aberdeen as Head of Recruitment
Former Southampton Head of Recruitment Darren Mowbray has returned to Aberdeen.
Mowbray worked for the Scottish side from 2021 to 2023 before joining the Saints, who he left last April amidst a wider restructure.
At Aberdeen, he will replace the departing Nuno de Almeida and lead their recruitment team into the summer 2026 window.
Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said: “In recent months, Darren has been acting for the club in an advisory capacity but we are really pleased he has now agreed to return to the Head of Recruitment role at AFC.
“His work last time unearthed several significant signings that went on to not only perform well for Aberdeen but made the club many millions of pounds in transfer fees. We have invested a great deal in our scouting infrastructure over the last 12 months, and Darren will be able to build on that and give us a strong platform for many years to come.
“With Darren joining us, I would also like to thank Nuno de Almeida for all his hard work and effort in his time with Aberdeen and we wish him well for his future career.”
Mowbray added: “I’ve been back doing some consultancy work and scouting for the club for many months now, but when the opportunity came up to get back in the saddle, I was delighted to accept.
“We already have a very clear picture of the work we need to do for this summer, and my team and I will work exceptionally hard to give the new Head Coach the best possible chance by recruiting the strongest, most suitable players we can find.”
March 5, 2026
Gill joins Morrison’s backroom staff at West Brom
Technical Coach Matt Gill has joined West Bromwich Albion Interim Head Coach James Morrison's staff for the rest of the season.
Gill was most recently Assistant to Russell Martin at both Southampton and Rangers and has also worked for Tranmere Rovers, Norwich City, Ipswich Town, MK Dons and Swansea City.
In his playing days, he made more than 400 senior appearances and won promotion with Peterborough United, Exeter City and Norwich.
Morrison, who was put in temporary charge last week after the sacking of Eric Ramsay, said: “Matt is a first-class coach with an outstanding character and I am convinced he will help us turn the tide on what has obviously been an incredibly poor season to date.”
Meanwhile the club have confirmed the news we reported last week that Dominic Price is the club’s new Technical Director.
Price left Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv FC two weeks ago, having been their Technical Director for the previous two-and-a-half years, during which time they won two Israeli Premier League titles.
Baggies chairman Shilen Patel said: “I look forward to Dom contributing his perspective, practices and enthusiasm to our efforts to continually improve. This is an important appointment for the football club and one I am confident will strengthen us both on and off the pitch in the years to come.”
TGG MEMBERS: West Brom staff profiles
March 3, 2026
Green appointed Head of Analysis at Wolves
Former Manchester United Analyst Tom Green has been appointed Head of Performance Analysis at Wolves.
Green worked for United for seven years, rising to become their Senior Performance Analyst. After a short stint at Besiktas in Turkey, he has returned to the Premier League to work with Wolves.
Matt Pearson was Head of Performance Insights and Data Strategy at the club before joining Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia last summer.
February 27, 2026
Knoop joins Forest as Goalkeeper Coach
German Marco Knoop, who was Brighton’s Goalkeeper Coach and Set Piece specialist in 2024/25, has joined Nottingham Forest.
Knoop began his coaching journey at VfL Bochum and has gone on to work for RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Fenerbahçe, FC Nordsjælland, St Pauli and most recently Brighton.
Wayne Hennessey remains part of the department as Assistant Goalkeeper Coach.
February 25, 2026
Former Walsall boss Taylor joins Norwich Academy
Former Shrewsbury Town and Walsall Manager Matty Taylor has joined Norwich City's Academy on a short-term agreement to the end of the season.
The 44-year-old will help with the Canaries’ Under-18s alongside Greg Crane and Adem Atey. The move reunites Taylor with former boss Dean Rastrick, who is now Norwich’s Head of Football Development.
Taylor was U18s Coach at Tottenham from 2019 to 2021 while Rastrick was Academy Director. After that, Taylor moved into senior management as Head Coach of Walsall.
Before coaching, he played in the Premier League as a midfielder with Portsmouth, Bolton, West Ham and Burnley.
February 17, 2026
Nevin leaves Stoke after 13 months
Stoke City have parted company with Assistant Manager Paul Nevin after 13 months.
Nevin joined the club as part of Mark Robins’ new backroom team in January 2025. The 56-year-old Pro Licence Coach is hugely experienced, having been Assistant to David Moyes at West Ham and to Gareth Southgate with England, as well as having worked for Brighton, Norwich City and Strasbourg in France.
Nevin had been responsible for Stoke’s in-possession work, with fellow Assistant James Rowberry overseeing their out-of-possession work.
Sporting Director Jon Walters said: “Paul leaves with our gratitude for his contribution during his time with the club and best wishes for his future career.”
News of his departure is a surprise, as he had signed a three-year contract extension, to 2029, in November.
Rowberry, First Team Coach Ryan Shawcross and Goalkeeper Coach Darren Behcet remain in place with Robins.
February 13, 2026
Kennedy leaves U21s role at Birmingham
Birmingham City Under-21s Head Coach Mark Kennedy has left the club for personal reasons.
The former Republic of Ireland international joined Birmingham’s coaching staff in June 2025 and led the U21s in their first campaign as a Premier League 2 side.
Kennedy had previously been Head Coach of Swindon Town and Lincoln City, as well as Assistant at Birmingham 2021/22. The club said the process of identifying a successor was now underway.
February 3, 2026
Horgan appointed Rehab Physio by Tottenham
Physio Liam Horgan has been reunited with Head Coach Thomas Frank and Head of Medical Nick Stubbings at Tottenham.
The trio worked together at Brentford for almost eight years. Horgan joined the Bees in 2016 as B Team Physio and was promoted to first-team duties in 2019.
His line manager there was Stubbings, who was Brentford’s Head Physio until joining Tottenham in the summer of 2025. Horgan joins Tottenham from Crystal Palace, where he has been First Team Physio since September 2024.
At Tottenham he will be a Rehab Physio. The club have split their Physios into Rehab and Performance. Richard Clark is Lead Rehab Physio and Matthew Davies is Lead Performance Physio.
Stuart Campbell is Head of Therapy Services, while Stubbings is Head of Medical. Tottenham had advertised for the Rehab Physio role six months ago.
Tottenham now have a very heavy Brentford presence, with TEN of their first-team staff having previously worked for the Bees:
– Thomas Frank (Head Coach)
– Justin Cochrane (Assistant)
– Andreas Georgson (Assistant/ Set Piece Coach)
– Joe Newton (Coach-Analyst)
– Chris Haslam (Head of Performance)
– Tom Perryman (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
– Nick Stubbings (Head of Medical)
– Ted Munson (Head of Nutrition)
– Liam Horgan (Rehab Physio)
– Zaheer Shah (Head of Football Methodology – joined before Frank)
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.