Manchester City will look very different when the 2025/26 campaign gets underway.
Last season was a tough one for everyone associated with the Manchester club as Pep Guardiola’s men went from winning four Premier League titles in a row to needing to secure Champions League football on the final day of the season, while also going the term without a trophy.
As a result, Man City entered the summer transfer window looking to add four to five new faces, with a midfield revamp at the heart of Guardiola’s rebuild as Tijjani Reijnders is set to join City, while the Manchester club have now agreed a deal with Lyon for Rayan Cherki.
Changes have also occurred off the pitch, and Man City have just announced the arrivals of two new coaches to Guardiola’s staff.
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Pepijn Lijnders and James French join Manchester City
It was announced last month that Man City would be adding Pepijn Lijnders to Guardiola’s coaching staff as the Dutch coach has great experience in the Premier League, having worked with Jurgen Klopp for years at Liverpool.
Lijnders left Anfield along with Klopp during the summer of 2024 and subsequently took over as manager of RB Salzburg, going on to spend six months in charge of the Austrian side; however, things did not work out for the 42-year-old, which is why he is now at City.
In addition to Lijnders, James French has moved to Man City from Liverpool to become the Manchester club’s new set-piece coach, who is also armed with extensive Premier League experience.
After having started his career working in roles at Swansea and then the FA of Wales, French joined Liverpool’s backroom team in 2012, where he worked as first team opposition analyst before deciding to move to the Etihad Stadium.
City fans are very excited about the arrival of French, and that has shown through their reaction to the news that he has started work with the Manchester club.
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Man City fans are delighted they have a set-piece coach
Set-piece coaches have grown in importance over recent years in the Premier League, with Arsenal’s Nicolas Jover receiving big praise for the work he has done with the Gunners.
Having not had a set-piece coach as part of their set-up last season, Man City’s decision to add French to Guardiola’s staff has gone down very well with fans of the Manchester club.
One Man City fan responded to the news by writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Finally, we have a set-piece coach after years of suffering.”
A second City supporter would react with: “It’s very important to have a set-piece coach these days, so I’m so delighted to welcome James.”
A final Man City fan would add: “Hope James French can teach our players what corners are.”
Only time will tell how the two coaches will impact Man City going forward, but it is clear that the Manchester club intend on getting back to the top of the Premier League.
