Forgotten Liverpool midfielder Albert Riera set to become manager of French Ligue 2 side

Former Liverpool midfielder Albert Riera is set to be appointed as the new manager of Ligue 2 side Bordeaux, according to the latest reports.

Riera, 41, retired from football in 2016, some six years after leaving Merseyside, and has since taken on roles at Galatasaray, Olimpija Ljubljana and, most recently, NK Celje.

What is interesting is that Riera is set to leave Slovenian side Celje after only joining in July, with the pull of a more established club clearly being the reason for his change of heart.

Appointment at Bordeaux

That move should be completed imminently according to Fabrizio Romano who says a deal has been agreed in principle and formal steps are to follow with a contract being prepared.

He earned valuable experience at Galatasaray across two spells as assistant manager across the 2020/21 season as well as for a short spell in 2022. Following that, he took on the head coach role of Slovenina side Olimpija Ljubljana where he boasted a 65% win ratio as his side won the Slovenian PrvaLiga and Slovenian Cup.

Next up was a move to Celje in the same league in July 2023 where he also had a strong record of 11 wins in 17 games (64% win ratio) and those experiences have helped to land the Bordeaux role. Now, he has the task of helping them to achieve promotion back to the top-flight in France, and they currently sit 13th.

Time at Liverpool

Signed by Rafael Benitez on deadline day in 2008 from Espanyol, the Spaniard signed for £8m and penned a four-year-deal. Around the same time he featured often for Spain, earning 16 caps between 2007-2009.

There weren’t many moments to call upon when thinking back to Riera’s time at Anfield, he played 56 times, scoring five times and assisting on nine occasions. However, his time at the club was cut short after he was suspended by then-manager Benitez.

He was suspended after comments he made to the Spanish press regarding his first team opportunities and the approach of manager Benitez, he was then transfer listed and eventually sold a few months later in the summer window to Olympiakos for around £5m (€6m) where he spent three years.

After that, he enjoyed very brief spells at Watford, Udinese (where he was sacked for attending a poker tournament rather than reporting to play against Chievo) Mallorca, Zavrč and Koper.