James Pearce has reported yet another departure from Liverpool this summer, highlighting the club’s current transitional time. He wrote for The Athletic that goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, who has been at Anfield since 2009, will depart the club at the conclusion of his contract, following long-time manager Jurgen Klopp out. After first being part of LFC’s youth staff, the 52-year-old was upgraded to a first-team job under Sir Kenny Dalglish in 2011 and served under three managers over 13 years.
Achterberg’s impending departure brings an end to another remarkable era at Liverpool, as one of Klopp’s most faithful lieutenants joins the legendary German. The manager referred to him as a ‘goalkeeping crazy,’ while Alisson Becker stated that he is ‘liked by all here.’ Indeed, it was the 52-year-old who suggested signing the Brazilian in 2018, a deal that has proven to be one of the most transformative in recent years at Anfield. Arne Slot was expected to bring many of his Feyenoord staff to Liverpool, and it now appears that a goalkeeping coach may be among those moving from Rotterdam to Merseyside. Pearce did not disclose what Achterberg’s ambitions are for his post-LFC future, but it wouldn’t surprise us at all if another team came calling.