Here we profile the five new members of Leicester City backroom staff hired by Enzo Maresca, including former Barcelona and Manchester City men
Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has unveiled five new members of his backroom team on, with new assistant manager Willy Caballero the latest to join.
New staff arrived in the coaching, fitness and analysis departments, with all five men having played or worked with Maresca during his time at either Malaga, Parma or Manchester City. Here, LeicestershireLive takes a look at the new staff and what they will bring to Leicester.
The arrival of new assistant Willy Caballero came out of the blue on Sunday morning, with the former Manchester City and Chelsea goalkeeper ending his playing career to join Leicester. The 41-year-old leaves Southampton, where he was a back-up stopper for two years, to reunite with Enzo Maresca. He played with Maresca at Malaga for 18 months from 2011 to 2012.
Danny Walker is a young, up-and-coming coach who was assistant to Maresca at Manchester City under-21s. He was there a short while before Maresca, but the duo worked together well and their team won Premier League 2 in record-breaking fashion.
In January 2023, Walker left Man City manage the under-21s at Peterborough United. After a short spell there, he now reunites with Maresca as first team coach on Filbert Way.
Walker brings with him important experience of English football, as well as knowing what it takes to work with Maresca successfully. At Manchester City, he worked his way through the academy, working with most age groups from under-9s through to the under-23s.
New goalkeeping coach Michele De Bernardin is known to Maresca through their time together at Serie B club Parma in 2021.
De Bernardin does not appear to have a playing history, but is already an experienced goalkeeping coach at the age of 45. He joins City from Serie A club Sampdoria, and has also worked for Parma as well as Italian lower league clubs Pordenone, Mantova 1911 and LR Vicenza.
He replaces former City goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell, who left the club this week after 18 years at the football club. He joined as a goalkeeping coach under Craig Levein in 2005 and, barring a two-month spell in 2007, had been an ever-present member of the first team coaching staff.
Marcos Alvarez joins the club as first team fitness coach, and will work with the club’s head of fitness and conditioning Matt Reeves.
The 52-year-old Spaniard is highly experienced, having worked for Sevilla, Tottenham, Real Madrid and a host of other clubs, including Maresca’s Parma back in 2021.
He started out at Sevilla back in 2005, so brings with him a wealth of experience that will benefit Maresca’s squad as they face a heavy fixture schedule en route back to the Premier League.
New City analyst Javier Molina Caballero completes the trio of staff to reunite with Maresca after working with him at Parma.
Molina Caballero has also worked for Barcelona B and Atletico Madrid, with him joining City from the latter. He has also worked for Real Racing Club and the Andorran football association. He is also a highly-educated professional with multiple degrees from his native Spain.
It appears he will work with existing City analysts Andy Blake, Peter Clark, Matt Edge and Jack Lyons. He may work with them to help transition them into Maresca’s complex style of football.
