Man City promote Reiss and Coggin after Under-21 coach Wilkinson joins Derby

Manchester City are reshaping their academy coaching staff this summer after Under-21s head coach Ben Wilkinson departs for Derby County, where he will assist Championship manager John Eustace.

Wilkinson spent two years in charge of City’s Under-21s and several more at the club before leaving with the blessing of the organisation. His exit triggers a chain of internal promotions that City believe will preserve continuity heading into pre-season.

Oli Reiss, who has managed the Under-18s for the past two years, is set to step up and take charge of the Under-21s. He departs the younger age group on a high, having guided the side to an FA Youth Cup final victory over Manchester United last month — the fourth final he reached in two seasons with the group.

The Under-18s vacancy created by Reiss’s promotion is also expected to be filled from within. Lauris Coggin, who assisted Wilkinson with the Under-21s last season, has been lined up to take the role. Coggin brings considerable experience from a decade in West Ham’s academy, where he served as lead Under-18s coach in his final year.

City have grown accustomed to losing academy coaches to senior clubs. Wilkinson’s predecessor, Brian Barry-Murphy, moved to Leicester’s coaching staff before taking the manager’s job at Cardiff. Before Barry-Murphy, Enzo Maresca cut his teeth at the City Football Academy — and has since returned to the Etihad as Pep Guardiola’s successor.

The timing of the reshuffle is significant. Academy players return for pre-season in July, and with a large number of City’s senior squad committed to the 2026 World Cup, several academy players are in contention to travel to Asia with Maresca and the first team.