West Ham have confirmed the appointment of Linus Kandolin as the men’s first-team goalkeeper coach.
The announcement comes in the same week that former Hammers goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero joined Liverpool—leaving with glowing praise from Lukasz Fabianski ringing in his ears.
Kandolin, 34, arrives from Swedish club IF Elfsborg, where he spent six successful years developing goalkeepers. He also played a role in Sweden’s U21 national team setup, further enhancing his coaching pedigree.
Impressively, Kandolin previously worked under Graham Potter at Östersunds FK between 2015 and 2018—meaning he must have been coaching at a high level while still in his early twenties.
Potter has worked with Kandolin before
As for Valero, the 52-year-old returns to Liverpool having previously worked at Anfield under Rafa Benítez. And it’s not just Fabianski who has sung his praises. None other than Fernando Torres once said of the Spanish coach:
“He has been a genius at telling me every week exactly what kind of task lies in front of me in the following match.”
After seven years at West Ham, Valero leaves behind a big void—and some equally big gloves to fill.