Bulletin Board
Who’s in, who’s out and what’s available
September 11, 2025
Ibrahim named as Men’s First Team Doctor at Everton
Everton have named Mubin Ibrahim as their Men's First Team Doctor.
He replaces William Fotherby, who left to join Manchester United earlier in the month.
Ibrahim worked part-time as a Doctor at Everton last season.
He previously worked for Salford City – as Club Doctor for seven years and then as part-time Head of Medicine for just over two years. Earlier this year, he worked as a Doctor for the Football Association of Wales for four months.
Writing on LinkedIn, he said: “I feel privileged to be taking on this role and looking forward to getting started!”
September 11, 2025
Huddersfield Head of Strength and Conditioning Adams joins Al Ain Club
Huddersfield Town Head of Strength and Conditioning Callum Adams has left the club and joined UAE side Al Ain Club as Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Adams spent more than 11 years with the Terriers – initially joining as a Sports Science Intern in 2014. He was appointed to the staff a year later as First Team Physical Performance Coach and became Senior Physical Performance Coach in the summer of 2020, before being promoted to his final role in May 2022.
He worked with 15 Managers/Head Coaches and five Interim Head Coaches during his time at Huddersfield and, writing on LinkedIn, said: “What a ride it has been. I have grown from a boy to a man during my time here, this club has shaped me not only professionally but also personally.
“Huddersfield Town has become my second home and because of that I will follow and support them for the rest of my life. I feel I am leaving the club in a really good place.”
September 3, 2025
Grimsby appoint ex-Liverpool coach Shearwood as Coach Analyst
Grimsby Town have appointed Ray Shearwood as Men's First Team Coach Analyst.
The League Two club said Shearwood will “play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality performance analysis to support tactical objectives, individual player development and team preparation”.
Shearwood said he wanted to “create a culture where data, analysis and coaching combine to deliver success on the pitch”.
Shearwood returns to England after just over a year-and-a-half as Lead First Team Analyst at Saudi side Al-Ettifaq. Before that, he spent almost 10 years working for Liverpool’s Academy, coaching different age grades. His first analysis job came in August 2019 when he was appointed Individual Coach and Analyst for the Under-15s/16s and a year later he became the Analyst and Coach for the Under-21s.
He started his coaching career at Preston North End.
The role of Coach Analyst is becoming a more popular one in football, with clubs like Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion, Oxford United and Colchester United among others who have appointed one.
August 27, 2025
Hawkes becomes Everton’s Head of Performance Analysis
Everton have promoted Matthew Hawkes to become their new Head of Performance Analysis.
Hawkes joined the Toffees in July 2017 as Analyst for their Under-23 team and was promoted to First Team Performance Analyst a year later, before moving up to First Team Lead Performance Analyst at the start of the 2021/22 season.
He has also worked for Blackpool and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.
August 27, 2025
Giakoumis named Head of Rehabilitation at Man City
Manchester City have appointed Michael Giakoumis as Head of Rehabilitation for their men's first team.
Giakoumis had been Head of Athlete Injury Management for the City Football Group, which wholly or partially owns 13 clubs around the world including Manchester City, since October 2022.
He has also been Reserve Team Physiotherapist for Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory, Lead Physiotherapist for Reading women’s first team and Physiotherapist for Northern Blues Australian rules football team.
Giakoumis joins a team which includes Rehabilitation Performance Coach Jason O’Keefe, Performance Director Simon Timson, Director of Player Health and Performance Dan Lewindon, Director of Performance Federico Genovesi and Head of Physical Performance Chris Elderkin.
Other clubs have been revamping their medical departments over the past 12 months, including Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, who split their physio departments between having a Rehab Physio to focus on injured players and a Performance Physio, who works with the matchday squad.
August 20, 2025
Ex-Manchester United coach Gaudino joins St Etienne
Former Manchester United First Team Fitness Coach Paolo Gaudino has become the First Team Physical Performance and Reconditioning Coach at St Etienne.
Gaudino joined United in July 2012 and worked under 11 Managers, both permanent and interim, starting with Sir Alex Ferguson. However, he left Old Trafford in a series of redundancies in June.
St Etienne were relegated from Ligue 1 last season, but are now under new ownership in the form of Canadian investment group Kilmer Sports Ventures, who have installed former Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis as their President.
They are currently top of Ligue 2 in France and have a strong British and Irish presence at the club. Gaudino will report into former Manchester City Head of Performance Donough Holohan, who is now Director of Performance at St Etienne, overseeing performance and medical.
Other members of the department are performance coaches Dave Tivey, the former Nottingham Forest and Swansea City Head of Performance, and Calum Daley, the former Head of Performance at Ebbsfleet and Leyton Orient.
August 18, 2025
Ward leaves Solihull to take up Dubai Irish role
Solihull Moors Director of Football Stephen Ward has left the club to become the new Head of Football Development at Dubai Irish FC.
Ward had worked at the National League club for two seasons, in the first of which they were a penalty shootout away from reaching the Football League for the first time.
In his playing career, he made more than 500 senior appearances for Bohemians, Wolves, Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley, Stoke City, Ipswich Town and Walsall, while also winning 50 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Writing on LinkedIn, Ward said he had “loved every minute” of his time at Solihull – calling it “a very special place to work”.
He is the second coach to move from the West Midlands to Dubai Irish this month, after former Wolves’ Head of Player Development Darren Ryan joined the club as Head of Youth Development.
Ward will work on developing Dubai Irish’s football operations from Academy to senior level.
August 13, 2025
DeFreitas leaves Man City to take up role at Derby County
Ryan DeFreitas has left his role as First Team Performance Analyst at Manchester City to become First Team Opposition Analyst at Derby County.
DeFreitas had been in the role at City for three years having previously spent more than nine years at Leicester City as Lead Academy Performance Analyst. He arrives at Pride Park as the latest new appointment by John Eustace, who was appointed as Head Coach in February 2025.
DeFreitas’s departure is the latest in a string of changes in City’s backroom team over the summer.
They include former Liverpool Assistant Pepijn Lijnders being named Pep Guardiola’s new number two, and James French following him from Anfield to become Set Piece Coach, while Assistants Juanma Lillo and Carlos Vicens and First Team Coach Inigo Dominguez all left the club.
Chris Elderkin was promoted to Head of Physical Performance to replace Donough Holohan, and Federico Genovesi was promoted to Director of Performance in other changes.
August 8, 2025
Thomas appointed Assistant Head of Academy at Doncaster
Ebun Thomas has been appointed Assistant Head of Academy and Head of Coach Development at Doncaster Rovers.
Thomas joins from Gillingham, where he had worked for three years and was Head of Coaching.
Category Three Doncaster have had an Academy revamp following the departure of long-serving Head of Coaching Steve Welsh.
His role has now been split in two, with Thomas responsible for “creating staff for the future and supporting their development”.
This will involve “designing and implementing the syllabus and coaching philosophy for the Academy and ensuring alignment across the phases and coaches.”
Meanwhile, Josh Law has joined from Barnsley, where he was YDP Lead, to become Head of Player Development. Law will “manage the tactical and technical development of youngsters within the Academy in line with the club’s playing philosophy with the aim of creating players of value for the first team.”
Doncaster’s Head of Academy is Stuart Swift. The club placed 71st in TGG’s Academy Productivity Rankings for 2023/24.
August 6, 2025
Ryan leaves Wolves for post in Dubai
Wolves' Head of Player Development Darren Ryan has left the club to become Head of Youth Development at Dubai Irish FC.
Ryan was named as permanent coach of the Wolves’ Under-18 side in July 2017 and had been in his last role for the past four seasons. He had also worked as an Elite Player Development Coach for Wolves and a Coach Mentor for the Football Association. While at Molineux, he coached the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, now at Nottingham Forest, and Dion Sanderson, currently on loan at Derby County.
He played professional and semi-professional football for a number of clubs including Shrewsbury Town, Chester City, Stockport County, Rochdale, Barry Town and Newport County.
On their Facebook page, Dubai Irish said: “This is a huge step forward in building one of the UAE’s most progressive youth football environments.”
TGG Members: Wolves staff profiles
July 30, 2025
Ex-Wolves Performance Head Pearson takes Saudi job
Former Wolves’ Head of Performance Insights and Data Strategy Mathew Pearson has become the Head of Performance Analysis at Saudi club Al-Qadsiah.
Pearson left Wolves earlier this month after more than eight seasons at Molineux, having taken on his final role at the club in September 2020.
At Al-Qadsiah, he will be responsible for leading a club-wide Performance Analysis department and “creating a best in class analysis provision” for their men’s, women’s and Academy teams.
Pearson has worked in the Middle East before, spending more than two-and-a-half years with the Qatar Football Association across their senior team in World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers and also their Olympic team.
He has also worked for Tranmere Rovers and Blackburn Rovers.
July 30, 2025
Wolves appoint Jerome as First Team Sports Scientist for Data
Ben Jerome has left Blackburn Rovers to become First Team Sports Scientist (Data) at Wolves.
Jerome, who had only been at Ewood Park since January, has also worked for Watford, Colchester United and Ipswich Town.
He joins an analysis team at Molineux, which already includes Performance Insights Data Scientist Edward Maw, First Team Performance Analyst John Boston, First Team Assistant Performance Analyst Tom Hocking and Lead First Team Performance Analyst Ed Ames.
July 22, 2025
Ismael confirms Lowe’s departure from Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers Head Coach Valerien Ismael has said that First Team Coach David Lowe will be leaving the Championship club.
Lowe has been at Ewood Park since 2011 and has had various roles, including a brief spell as caretaker manager when John Eustace left last season.
Ismael succeeded Eustace in February and told the Lancashire Telegraph it was natural for Head Coaches to have their own coaching staff. “It’s something that the club is clear with him. You work closely with the people you want, but I think it’s normal. We have no problem with David. It’s just the situation in football. You move in, move out and we move on,” he said.
Lowe spent his first six years with Blackburn as Head of Youth Development, but was promoted to Assistant First Team Manager under Tony Mowbray. Before joining Rovers, he coached for Wigan Athletic and Derby County.
He played more than 600 senior games as a winger for Wigan, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Wrexham.
July 22, 2025
Hayes joins QPR as PDP Head of Methodology
Anthony Hayes has joined QPR as Head of Methodology for their Professional Development Phase programme covering the Under-17s to the Under-21s.
Hayes will be responsible for implementing the club’s game model and coaching methodology for those players, specifically focusing on delivering the coaching and games programme for the Under-21s. He will also oversee all aspects of individual player development in those age groups to align them with the club’s performance pathway.
QPR will be the sixth club Hayes has worked for and the fourth in London. He spent five years at Brentford and was Head of Coaching for his final eight months before moving to Charlton, where he stayed for nearly seven-and-a-half years – working as First Team Assistant Manager in his last 15 months. He then had brief spells as First Team Coach at Sunderland, Assistant Manager at Gillingham and Under-21s Coach at Crystal Palace.
The R’s are not the first club to appoint someone in such a role. Earlier this month, Birmingham City named Ian Jones as their new Head of Methodology and Alignment for their men’s, women’s and Academy teams.
QPR advertised this job on TGG – if you want to do the same with an opening at your club, please contact us.
July 21, 2025
Beale returns to Aston Villa as Under-18s Head Coach
Richard Beale has returned to Aston Villa to become Head Coach of the club's Under-18 side.
Beale was previously Villa’s Youth Team Manager from July 2019 to March 2020.
His coaching career started at Villa’s neighbours Birmingham City, where he stayed for 15 years – with almost all of that time spent as Senior Professional Development Phase Coach.
After leaving Villa, he spent just over a year as Assistant Manager of Solihull Moors before joining West Bromwich Albion as Senior Professional Development Phase Manager in June 2021. He left The Hawthorns last month.
July 21, 2025
Gilpin promoted to Assistant Director of Performance at Wolves
Stephen Gilpin has been promoted from Head of Performance Services for the Academy and Women's teams to Assistant Director of Performance at Wolves.
He will be number two to the club’s new Director of Performance, Phil Hayward, who was promoted into the role last month. Hayward is part of Wolves’ new five-man Football Leadership Team.
Gilpin joined Wolves in June 2023 from Rotherham United, where he was Head of Performance Services in his second spell at the club. He had also worked as the Millers’ Head of Medical and was also First Team Physiotherapist at both Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City.
He is also the co-founder of Prostate United, which he launched with Ross Burbeary in 2018 to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. The challenge broke the £1 million barrier last November.
July 16, 2025
Toure joins Man City first-team staff
Kolo Toure has permanently joined Pep Guardiola’s first-team staff at Manchester City after a successful secondment during the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
The 44-year-old Ivorian was Assistant to Under-18s Lead Oliver Reiss last season, helping the team reach the national final of the Premier League U18s, where they lost to Aston Villa.
Toure has previously been Assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester City and had a brief spell as Head Coach of Wigan Athletic.
City Director of Football Hugo Viana said: “We’re delighted to permanently add Kolo to our first-team coaching staff. Not only does he bring his immensely precious experience at football’s elite level, but he also has a deep connection with Manchester City and a deep knowledge of the club.
“We’ve also been hugely impressed with his work and success with our U18s, and by adding him into our senior staff permanently, this will only strengthen the transition for players in our Academy into the first team.
“His massive personality of optimism and positivity is hugely infectious and we’re already looking forward to his work moving forward.”
Guardiola has now completed his first-team staff for the coming season, with Pep Lijnders and James French having already joined as Assistants.
July 16, 2025
Darlington appointed Interim Academy Director at Everton
Carl Darlington has been appointed Interim Academy Director at Everton following Gareth Prosser’s move to Al Jazira.
Darlington has worked for Everton since October 2022 as Head of Coaching. Prior to that he was with the Football Association for 17 years, latterly as their Head of Coach Education.
Writing on LinkedIn, the Welshman said: “Proud to step into the role of Interim Academy Director at Everton. I’m truly honoured.
“We will continue building on the strong foundations laid by Gareth Prosser following the clear direction he set with the full support of our Academy management team and wider staff.
“Their dedication plays an integral role in driving the high standards we hold in developing the next generation of Everton talent.
“It’s a privilege to contribute to a club with such a proud tradition of youth development.”
July 15, 2025
Stewart joins Liverpool as Goalkeeper Development and Pathway Lead
Colin Stewart has joined Liverpool’s coaching staff in the new position of Goalkeeper Development and Pathway Lead.
The Scot previously spent almost a decade with Rangers, before leaving in February this year. His first two years with the Scottish giants were in charge of their Academy goalkeeping programme, before he was promoted to First Team Goalkeeper Coach.
The former pro keeper has also worked with the Scottish FA for more than a decade as a Goalkeeping Coach Educator, delivering courses across the country.
At Liverpool, he will support Xavi Valero, who returned to Liverpool this summer as Head of First Team Goalkeeper Coaching.
In addition, Stewart will oversee the loan strategies for keepers who are in the process of stepping up from youth to senior level, serving as a link between the men’s squad, loan management team and U21s group.
July 14, 2025
Genoa Assistant named U21s Head Coach at Southampton
Genoa Assistant Tonda Eckert has been confirmed as the new Under-21s Head Coach at Southampton.
The 32-year-old German replaces Calum McFarlane, who is leaving after two years to join Chelsea. Eckert has previous experience in England, having been Assistant to Gerhard Struber at Barnsley in 2020/21.
He knows Southampton Technical Director Johannes Spors and Assistant Technical Director Elliott Stapley from their time together at Genoa. The Italian club was previously part of the 777 Group, where Spors and Stapley held senior roles before joining Southampton.
Eckert has also coached at Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig at Academy level.