Manchester City are making changes in their academy this summer as Under-21 coach Ben Wilkinson leaves for Derby County. After two years in the role and several more at the club, Wilkinson is departing to assist Rams boss John Eustace in the Championship, and City have given their blessing.
Internal Promotions to Fill Vacancies
As is often the case at the City Football Academy, the club are planning to fill the role internally. Oli Reiss has done a superb job with the Under-18s for the last two years and is expected to step up to take charge of the older age group. He signed off with an FA Youth Cup final victory over Manchester United last month.
That opens up the Under-18s vacancy, which is also set to be an internal appointment. Lauris Coggin, who assisted Wilkinson with the Under-21s last year after spending a decade in West Ham's academy—including his final year there as lead coach for their Under-18s—has been lined up to step into Reiss's shoes.
City Accept Coach Exits as Inevitable
City will be sorry to lose Wilkinson but have come to accept that their academy coaches will be coveted just as their players are. Brian Barry-Murphy, Wilkinson's predecessor, joined Leicester's coaching team before taking the reins at Cardiff. Before Barry-Murphy came Enzo Maresca, who is now back at the Etihad as Pep Guardiola's successor.
Reiss has impressed with the Under-18s, reaching four finals in two years and proving popular with players. His promotion, and Coggin coming in, will give City continuity and stability for the start of the season. Academy players return for pre-season in July, and a number of them have a chance of heading to Asia with Maresca and the first team, given so many senior stars are at the World Cup.
