Manchester City have confirmed the permanent addition of Ivorian football legend Kolo Touré to their first-team coaching staff, bolstering Pep Guardiola’s backroom team ahead of the new season.
Touré, who captained City during his playing days, had been working with the club’s Under-18s but earned a promotion after impressing Guardiola when he stepped in to assist the senior side during last season’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
He now joins a refreshed coaching lineup at the Etihad, which includes former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders, now Guardiola’s deputy, and James French, a set-piece specialist also recruited from Anfield.
The overhaul follows a season deemed below par by City’s lofty standards, prompting the departures of Juanma Lillo and Inigo Dominguez—both returning to Spain—and Carlos Vicens, who has taken over as head coach at Braga.
City’s director of football, Hugo Viana, expressed confidence in Touré’s ability to bridge the gap between the academy and first team.
“We’re delighted to permanently add Kolo to our first-team coaching staff,” he said. “Not only does he bring his immensely precious experience at football’s elite level, but he also has a deep connection with Manchester City and a deep knowledge of the club.
“We’ve also been hugely impressed with his work and success with our Under-18s, and by adding him into our senior staff permanently, this will only strengthen the transition for players in our academy into the first team.
“As we already saw throughout his time with Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijnders and James French this summer, his massive personality of optimism and positivity is hugely infectious and we’re already looking forward to his work moving forward.”
Touré, who joined City from Arsenal in 2009, made 102 appearances across four seasons and was named captain in 2010. He played a key role in the club’s Premier League triumph in 2012.
A member of Arsenal’s famed ‘Invincibles’ squad, the former defender also had playing stints at Liverpool and Celtic.
On the sidelines, he previously worked under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester before taking up his first managerial role with Wigan Athletic in the 2022–23 season, though he failed to register a win during his short tenure.
Touré’s return to City in a senior coaching capacity marks a new chapter in his career—and a symbolic reconnection with the club where he once wore the armband.
