Elphick and Cooper set to join Iraola's backroom staff at Liverpool

Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper are set to follow Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth to Liverpool as part of his coaching staff ahead of the 2026/27 season, according to a report from journalist Ben Jacobs. Iraola remains the frontrunner to replace Arne Slot, who was sacked last weekend after overseeing one of the lowest points tallies to achieve Champions League qualification in modern top-flight history.

Elphick, 38, is a former professional defender whose playing career took in spells at Brighton, Bournemouth, and Aston Villa among others. He began his coaching career with Bournemouth’s development squad in late 2021, just a month after retiring from playing, before being promoted to the first team during the 2022/23 season under then-head coach Gary O’Neil. His commitment to Iraola was underlined last week when he rejected the chance to become Bristol City manager, choosing instead to stay with the Spaniard. Former team-mate Matt Tubbs told BBC Radio Solent that Elphick’s coaching hand was “one of the strongest going.”

Cooper, 42, also a former Bournemouth player, was promoted to the first-team setup alongside Elphick in 2022/23 following the sacking of Scott Parker. That dismissal came in the direct aftermath of a 9-0 defeat at Anfield — a result that now lends a certain symmetry to both coaches preparing to work at the same ground.

Iraola himself arrives with considerable pedigree. The former Athletic Bilbao midfielder guided Bournemouth to a sixth-place Premier League finish in 2024/25, securing European football for the Cherries for the first time. During that campaign, Bournemouth beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates in March, contributing to pressure on the title race. It was not the first time the south-coast club had complicated Arsenal’s season under Iraola’s watch — in 2023/24 they also defeated the Gunners 2-0 at home as Mikel Arteta’s side finished runners-up.

With Iraola’s appointment at Anfield now described as all but confirmed, Liverpool appear set to inherit a tightly knit backroom unit that helped transform Bournemouth into one of the Premier League’s more progressive sides.