Liverpool said goodbye to Neil Critchley as the Reds’ under 23 coach left the club to join Blackbool.
Critchley, who was in charge of the Liverpool first team for two cup matches earlier this season when Jurgen Klopp was away, has agreed to a contract to become the head coach of the continuing Ligue 1 club until the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Blackpool,” said Critchley on the club’s official website.
“I can’t wait to get started, I’m really looking forward to the weeks and months to come, meeting the players, working on the grass, developing the team and meeting some of the supporters.
“The time I spent in Liverpool was really special. I was incredibly well supported by Alex Inglethorpe, the director of the academy and all the staff.
“It is a really special football club and it is the people who make the football club where it is.
“I should have considered something as special, if not more, than I thought of leaving.
“But thanks to the conversations I have had here, I have had a very good impression of people, where they want the club to go and how they want it to develop.”
Critchley joined Liverpool in 2013 after six years as director of the academy at his home club, Crewe.
The 41-year-old spent four years as an U18 coach at Anfield before taking on the leadership of the U23 in 2017.
Critchley was in charge of Liverpool for a Carabao Cup quarterfinal and an FA Cup fourth round match this season.
Blackpool owner Simon Sadler said, “I would like to welcome Neil as he joins us on our journey and thank Liverpool for the way he handled our approach.
“The fact that we were able to attract a coach of Neil’s caliber is a testament to the way this club is now perceived and is the result of the work that has been done here over the past few months.
“Neil is a renowned coach who impressed us with his in-depth preparation and analysis of the team.
“We want this club to represent the city and the community by playing entertaining football, working hard and being organized.
“We firmly believe that Neil can provide that and define the plan for our football philosophy.”
Liverpool issued a statement confirming the news and wrote: “Everyone at the Liverpool Football Club would like to thank Neil for his exceptional contribution to the club and wish him all the best in his new position.”
Blackpool, 13th in Ligue 1, sacked Simon Grayson last month after a seven-game losing streak in nine league games and put David Dunn and Tommy Johnson in provisional charge.
The Seasiders offered Oxford boss Karl Robinson to succeed Grayson, who had been in charge for just over seven months, but was rejected by their Ligue 1 rivals.