Liverpool coach Neil Critchley has moved on to Blackpool.
Liverpool lost their 44-game unbeaten Premier League run on Saturday evening, having been beaten 3-0 away at Watford.
The Reds have now lost Neil Critchley too, capping off a less-than-ideal few days for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp – even if he will be proud of Critchley.
Liverpool’s Under-23 boss has decided to leave Anfield, taking his first-ever senior managerial job by becoming Blackpool’s new manager.
Critchley succeeds Simon Grayson as Blackpool boss, and the 41-year-old will be keen to seize his chance with the League One side.
It’s not often clubs go for untested development coaches instead of tried-and-tested managers, but this is a great step forward by Blackpool and real inspiration for young coaches everywhere.
Critchley had a taste of managing Liverpool when he stood in for Klopp in cup ties against Aston Villa and twice against Shrewsbury Town, and now gets to try his hand at management long-term.
The news did seemingly come out of nowhere, and Klopp will now have to make plans to find a replacement, but ex-Liverpool striker Neil Mellor has been left stunned.
Mellor took to Twitter to admit that he didn’t see this coming, but praised Critchley for contributing so much to the development of Liverpool youngsters, praising him as a ‘top coach’ whilst wishing him well at Bloomfield Road.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
