Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the former Arsenal and Barcelona left-back and title-winning head coach at Feyenoord, is now confirmed to have join Liverpool’s staff.Van Bronckhorst has been announced as the latest addition to Arne Slot‘s backroom, filling the assistant role vacated upon John Heitinga‘s move to Ajax.It comes as something of a surprise given the Dutchman’s pedigree, having held lead roles with Feyenoord, Guangzhou City, Rangers and Besiktas.But the 50-year-old is understood to have relished the opportunity to join Slot’s team as they build towards more success in 2025/26 and beyond.The decision to appoint Van Bronckhorst is said to have been led by Slot himself and comes following Heitinga’s departure after only one year to take the Ajax head coach job.A graduate of the Feyenoord academy, Van Bronckhorst went on to make 249 appearances for their first team over two spells bookending a career that also saw him turn out for Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona.Before his successful switch into coaching, Van Bronckhorst was arguably most well known for his stunning strike for the Netherlands against Uruguay in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.After retiring in 2010, he took up an assistant role at Feyenoord before becoming head coach in 2015 – then leading the club to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years in 2016/17.Dirk Kuyt – also thought to have put his name in the hat to replace Heitinga – was his captain that season, while Slot was the next coach to win the league during his time at Feyenoord.Van Bronckhorst also gained experience in coaching in a short-term role working with the City Football Group, including time spent with Pep Guardiola.While he will not be considered Slot’s No. 2 – that remains long-time assistant Sipke Hulshoff – he will certainly be a key part of the staff both in training and on matchdays.If he follows the same brief as Heitinga he will work closely with individual players in training sessions, using his experience and expertise to help guide a team that will look to defend their title next season.Whether it proves to be a long-term appointment or another stepping stone as was the case with Heitinga remains to be seen.But it is clearly an agreement all are happy with, and with Van Bronckhorst signing early in the summer it allows him to join Slot and his staff for preparations ahead of pre-season starting on July 8.Liverpool have also announced both Fabian Otte and Claudio Taffarel have left the club, with Xavi Valero returning as the new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching.