Liverpool appoint former Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor ahead of new Women's Super League season

The Reds have been without a permanent head coach since the departure of Matt Beard back in late February. Amber Whiteley, his assistant, took charge of the team on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and did her best to stake a claim for getting the job on a full-time basis. However, Liverpool have gone in a different direction, announcing Taylor's appointment on Friday.

Taylor left his post as Man City boss back in March, when he was shockingly sacked just five days before his team were set to play the League Cup final. League results had been disappointing, with City's title charge well and truly over by that point and their chances of secure a Champions League spot in danger. As such, the club tried to make a change in time to improve their chances of European football, but it did not work. It brought to an end an almost five-year spell in charge for Taylor, who delivered an FA Cup and a League Cup in that time.

"I am delighted to have been appointed as Liverpool’s new head coach," Taylor said upon the announcement. "Everyone in football knows about the history, size and potential of this club, and I am really looking forward to the task ahead. Our aim is to create a team that supporters can be proud of, which plays good football and which will hopefully bring success along the way."

Andy O'Boyle, the managing director of Liverpool's women's team, added: "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 [this team] 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."

Taylor should have plenty of money to spend in what remains of the transfer window as Liverpool sold Olivia Smith, their star player, to Arsenal for a world-record fee of £1 million ($1.34m) last month. It is a blow to lose the 21-year-old but the hope among fans will be that the club can use those funds to strengthen the squad overall, after an underwhelming seventh-placed finish in the WSL last term. In the season prior, the Reds - champions in 2013 and 2014 - came fourth.

Liverpool's first competitive game in Taylor's tenure is a big one, as the Reds will start the 2025-26 WSL season at Anfield against Everton. The Toffees have won every time they have played at the iconic ground, a record that the home fans will hope ends upon the opening weekend.