Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg will bring a 15-year stay at the club to a close at the end of the season.
The Dutchman’s contract expires this summer and This Is Anfield understands he has elected to take on a new challenge elsewhere.
Achterberg is thought to have offers from a number of clubs, though it is currently unclear where he is likely to end up.
The news gives incoming head coach Arne Slot another big decision to make regarding the composition of his backroom staff.
Slot’s team is currently expected to comprise of assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff, head of performance Ruben Peeters and analyst Etienne Reijnen.
It remains to be seen what Achterberg’s decision means for the rest of Liverpool’s goalkeeper coaches, Jack Robinson and Claudio Taffarel.
Liverpool’s longest-serving coach departs
Achterberg has been part of Liverpool’s staff since 2009, when he joined as an academy goalkeeping coach following the end of his playing career at Tranmere.
He was swiftly promoted to the first-team setup and remained there despite a slew of managerial changes with Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers and then Klopp.
The 52-year-old was most recently promoted to the role of head of goalkeeping, with Robinson and Taffarel working alongside him.
A native Dutchman, there had been an expectation among fans that Achterberg would perhaps be one of the few high-profile staff members who elected to stay as part of Slot’s backroom.
Now Liverpool face the task of replacing a figure with not only vast experience and knowledge of his field, but also that of the club itself.
Soccer2day 