Liverpool Women have appointed Gareth Taylor as their new head coach.
Liverpool have been without a permanent head coach since Matt Beard was sacked in February, with Amber Whiteley taking interim charge for the remainder of last season.
Taylor was axed by Manchester City Women in March ahead of their Women’s League Cup final against Chelsea.
The 52-year-old had been in charge of the club since 2020 and led City to an FA Cup win that year and League Cup success in 2022. Under Taylor, City missed out on the 2023/24 WSL title to Chelsea on goal difference.
Liverpool begin their Women’s Super League season against Merseyside rivals Everton Women on Sunday September 7, live on Sky Sports.
LFC Women managing director Andy O’Boyle said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Gareth to the club.
“This has been a very detailed process and it was clear that Gareth was the outstanding candidate. He has a proven track record of building successful, identity-driven teams and his ability to develop players and help them reach the next level is second to none.
“We have a very clear vision of how we will return LFC Women to the upper echelons of the game and this is a crucial step on that journey.
“We want our team playing with a clear identity as a Liverpool team, playing Liverpool football in front of passionate Liverpool fans.
“Gareth shares that vision and we believe he has the qualities and experience to deliver it.”
Analysis: Taylor’s ability to develop players a highlight for Reds
Sky Sports’ Vicki Hodges:
Despite leading Man City to two major honours during his five-year stint, with FA Cup success in his first year in charge in 2020 and League Cup glory two years later, the WSL title ultimately eluded Gareth Taylor.
The timing of his departure earlier this season – merely five days before the Women’s League Cup final in March – a showpiece they lost to Chelsea, might have been strange timing but hinted towards a breakdown in relationships off the pitch.
His league record at City, having never finished outside the top four, was blemished by a bitter transfer wrangle with forward Chloe Kelly this January – which saw this summer’s Lionesses hero force an initial loan move to Arsenal. And from that moment onwards, the writing looked on the wall for Taylor.
A preference for high possession and pressing, Taylor’s predictable and often stubborn style became part of the problem, where inconsistency saw them finish outside the Champions League places.
Taylor’s ability to develop young players, having worked at the club’s academy for nine years before his head coach appointment, however, will have impressed Liverpool.
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Reigning champions Chelsea will be aiming to secure a record-extending seventh straight WSL title – but they will likely face a major challenge from European champions Arsenal, who have made a summer statement by signing Liverpool’s Olivia Smith as the first £1m player in women’s football.
The two Manchester sides City and United will be hoping to compete as well, with City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur among the clubs beginning new eras with new managers.
There is also a new face in the WSL in the form of London City Lionesses, who became the first independent club to be promoted to the women’s football top-flight.
But with new relegation rules ahead of a league expansion to 14 teams, this WSL season promises to be unlike any other.
