After Liverpool dismissed Slot and appointed Iraola, the latter brought four coaching staff members from Bournemouth.

This marks the beginning of a new era at Liverpool. Head coach Slot's departure and Iraola's subsequent appointment led to significant changes in the coaching team. Coaches Sipke Hulshoff, Ruben Peeters, and John de Jong, along with first-team tactical analyst Rodrigue van der Ham, all left with Slot. De Jong later became the head coach of Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, with Hulshoff as his assistant.

After reaching a compensation agreement with Bournemouth, Iraola confirmed that he would bring four trusted team members from the South Coast. Elphick and Shaun Cooper joined Liverpool as first-team coaches, De la Torre as assistant coach, and Tom Webb as first-team tactical analyst. This article introduces their respective roles and why Iraola values them so highly.

Elphick

The former Bournemouth captain, a lifelong Liverpool fan, could have started his individual coaching career this summer. The 38-year-old rejected a coaching opportunity at Bristol City in the Championship to follow Iraola to Anfield.

"Elphick and Shaun Cooper are often mentioned together, but if there's anyone who is Iraola's right-hand man, it's Elphick," said Alexander Smith, senior sports reporter for the Bournemouth Echo. "He is tactically astute, popular with players, and complements the more assertive Iraola well. When Iraola was banned from coaching on the sidelines, it was Elphick who took on the extra responsibilities. The two developed a very good rapport during their three years together at Bournemouth. Iraola is hands-on and communicative in training, but he always values the opinions of other coaches. At the end of the season, Iraola said Elphick was ready to manage independently, but it's not surprising he wanted Elphick to stay with Liverpool."

Elphick's playing career began in Brighton's youth academy, where he rose to become first-team captain. After transferring to Bournemouth, he also wore the captain's armband, helping Eddie Howe's team achieve historic promotion to the Premier League in 2015. He later played for Aston Villa and Huddersfield, retiring in 2021 to return to Bournemouth, coaching the development squad. In the 2022-23 season, he was promoted to the first-team coaching staff under O'Neil and remained after Iraola took over in June 2023.

"Iraola's greatest strength is his consistent coaching approach, message, and delivery," Elphick told the Premier League official website in 2024. "He has an extremely strong belief in his coaching philosophy and has never wavered. I'm the loud one, so when the head coach is hoarse, he pushes me to deliver what needs to be said. As a player, I needed to bring energy, and it's the same now. I strongly identify with Iraola and appreciate the way he wants the team to play with emotion; he places a strong emphasis on mental strength."

Shaun Cooper

Like Elphick, Cooper initially worked as a coach in Bournemouth's academy before being promoted to the first team by O'Neil and retained by Iraola.

"Three years ago, the original plan was for Iraola to bring Iñigo Pérez (now Villarreal manager) from Rayo Vallecano as his assistant, but he couldn't get a UK work permit," Smith explained. "As a result, both Elphick and Cooper kept their jobs, and it turned out to be the best outcome, as both contributed greatly to a very successful period for the team, with Bournemouth qualifying for European competition for the first time last season."

Cooper is a set-piece specialist, and his tactical routines designed at Bournemouth earned praise. One such routine helped the team to a surprising 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the 2024-25 season—Lewis Cook's corner, Justin Kluivert's flick, and Christie's powerful shot into the net.

"That was a move from training," Christie told reporters at the time. "Credit to Shaun Cooper. He designs a lot of different set-piece routines, and we have something new to try every game."

In the 2025-26 season, Bournemouth scored 20 goals from set pieces in the Premier League, but defending set pieces became an issue, conceding 26 goals. In comparison, Liverpool, who dismissed set-piece coach Aaron Briggs last December, scored 19 set-piece goals and conceded 23 last season.

"Set-piece performance wasn't as good last season, but Bournemouth suffered significant height loss after losing Zabarnyi and Huijsen, which didn't help," Smith said. "They were often out-jumped by taller teams in aerial duels, and this cost them during their 11-game winless streak in the middle of the season. However, it's worth noting that the coaching staff found solutions and largely resolved this issue in the second half of the season, helping the team maintain an 18-game unbeaten run. Shaun Cooper is highly respected, not only trusted by Iraola but also very popular in the dressing room. Bournemouth had hoped both would stay under Marco Rose, but they are both club legends and leave with everyone's blessings."

Cooper's playing career began at Portsmouth, where current Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes was his teammate. In 2005, he joined Bournemouth, making 240 appearances for the club over seven years. After retiring in 2017, Eddie Howe brought him back to Bournemouth, where he excelled in developing young players in the U18 and U21 squads.

De la Torre

This Spanish fitness coach has a close relationship with Iraola, dating back eight years to when they worked together at AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. After reuniting at Rayo Vallecano in 2020, De la Torre followed Iraola to Bournemouth in 2023.

"De la Torre has a fiery personality and is never afraid to express his feelings," Smith said. "Expect him to pick up some yellow cards for protesting from the dugout. He is deeply trusted by Iraola and is crucial in ensuring the team can handle the physical demands of Iraola's style of football. Iraola wants the team to press intensely and maintain an attacking approach, which is very demanding. It's not easy to sustain for 90 minutes. At Liverpool, there will also be the added burden of Champions League matches. De la Torre will play an important role, especially during pre-season preparation."

De la Torre spoke to Spanish sports newspaper 'AS' last month about how they turned Bournemouth's fortunes around—the team finished 12th, 9th, and 6th (tied) in the Premier League respectively. He described Iraola with four words: honest, sincere, humble, and respectful.

"The key is to establish a playing model and a team identity that makes the players truly believe in the coach's philosophy," De la Torre said. "He built a brave team and made them believe they could beat anyone. He is extremely intelligent, leads by example, and possesses a rare emotional stability in such a passionate sport. From day one, you could feel that he was different—his understanding and demands of the game are almost unique. He can filter information, making it easy for players to digest and implement weekly."

Tom Webb

Webb comes to Merseyside after ten years as a performance analyst at Bournemouth. The University of Birmingham graduate previously gained brief experience at Birmingham City and Leicester City. His work impressed Iraola, and he was promoted to first-team senior performance analyst two years ago.

"Bringing Webb to Liverpool makes sense for rounding out the coaching staff," Smith added. "He will complement Liverpool's existing analysts. Iraola has a good relationship with him, meaning Iraola has all the personnel around him who enabled him to do an excellent job at Bournemouth, and the communication will remain consistent."

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