‘Man City complete double Liverpool raid – this is headline news, believe me’
Man City have already sealed three key first-team signings this summer and have taken things a step further with a raid on rivals Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola‘s side finished 13 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League last term as they relinquished their title to the Merseyside club.
In a shock move, Lijnders is now expected to join Guardiola’s new-look coaching set-up at Man City along with James French – Liverpool‘s long-serving analyst of 13 years.
City’s coaching clear-out has seen Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez leave the club, while Carlos Vicens has taken over at Portuguese club Braga.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that these behind-the-scenes changes are “big moves” for Man City.
Man City have wrapped up deals for two ‘great assets’, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that he has a “very high opinion” of ex-Liverpool analyst French, who is a recent addition to Guardiola’s backroom staff.
French has made the switch to the Etihad Stadium, following former Reds assistant Pep Lijnders, who left Anfield at the end of the 2023-24 campaign along with Jurgen Klopp.
Wyness added that members of the backroom staff are now becoming a “crucial part of the game”.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I’ve got a very high opinion of James French. He’s a good operator, and I think he’s obviously coming because of Pep Lijnders.
“That’s been one of the key signings for Pep (Guardiola), to get Pep Lijnders.
“It’s something that we’re seeing more and more now, the names of these guys. The manager and the players were always the names that fans knew before.
“Now we’re starting to know about the data analysts, and we’re starting to know about the sporting directors more. They’re becoming a crucial part of the game.
“Although there is no sort of name recognition for James French, let me tell you, he’s a good asset, and Pep Lijnders is a great asset.
“To go from Liverpool to Man City, if players had done it, it would have been headline news and we’d have never stopped talking about it on the radio talk shows.
“Those are big moves, believe me, behind the scenes.”
Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace want Bobb
Meanwhile, both Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in Oscar Bobb, who could be available for a loan move this summer.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who told Football Insider that both clubs would be “perfect” for the 21-year-old Man City star.
The Norway international suffered a broken leg last August and featured just four times last season after spending over 200 days on the sidelines.
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