SAINTS have confirmed the arrival of new faces in the academy setup including head coaches for the under-21 and under-18 teams.
Academy director, Andy Goldie, has made his first appointments since arriving in the summer after a handful of departures in the setup were confirmed this season.
Ricky King is set to join the club as head of coaching from October 1, making the move to Saints having spent time in coaching, methodology and coach education roles at New York Red Bulls, Vancouver Whitecaps and Swansea City.
He is credited with playing a significant role in the development of talents such as Tyler Adams and Alphonso Davies.
King will now lead the coaching department in the delivery of a new world-leading coaching curriculum from under-9s to under-21s in line with the new academy strategy.
Following the departures of Dave Horseman and Louis Carey in the summer, Adam Asghar, a Scotsman who most recently served as Sunderland’s under-18s head coach, will assume the position of under-21s head coach.
Asghar and Goldie were close friends during their formative years at the Scottish FA and Dundee United. Last season, Asghar led the Black Cats to a runners-up position in the Northern Section of the Under-18s Premier League.
Sixteen academy graduates helped the club secure European football for the first time in ten years under Asghar, who began as Head of Professional Performance and eventually transitioned to first team coaching.
Asghar will take charge in the coming weeks, with the remainder of the new-look under-21s staff to be confirmed following his official arrival.
At under-18s level, Calum McFarlane joins as head coach after spending three seasons at Manchester City in various coaching positions, after holding prior coaching positions at Kinetic Academy, Tromsø, Crystal Palace and Fulham.
McFarlane has already been in the building for a month, having taken over the under-18s at the beginning of the season.
Finally, Jack Chapman has been appointed as head of academy recruitment, joining from Swansea City where he spent the last five years.
Having previously held coaching and recruitment roles at New York Red Bulls and Cardiff City, Chapman began his time at Swansea as recruitment coordinator before being promoted to their head of academy recruitment position in 2019; he has also already started his position at Saints after arriving in August.
“To replicate the success we have historically had as an academy, it is vital we not only attract the very best players and staff, but also then retain and help them maximize their full potential,” Goldie said in reference to the newcomers to the team.
“The appointments of Ricky, Adam, Calum, and Jack are the first steps in enhancing the level of support, opportunity, and details we are striving to provide on a daily basis, and we look forward to welcoming the further appointments over the coming weeks.”