Who are this season's UEFA Technical Observers?
Thursday, September 17, 2026
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From David Adams to Zlatko Zahovič via Thomas Frank, Arne Slot and Sir Gareth Southgate: Meet the 2026/27 UEFA Technical Observer Group.
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The UEFA Technical Observer Group will once again monitor UEFA's club competitions this season, with stats and video assistance enabling them to deliver detailed reports on the latest developments in coaching which are shared among the footballing community to give a dynamic account of the state of the game.
Who are the UEFA Technical Observers for the 2026/27 Champions League?
Roberto Martínez
The Spanish midfielder shone in England as a player then as a coach with both Wigan and Swansea, before a spell in charge of Premier League Everton heralded even higher-profile work. Belgium boss from 2016–22, he then took the Portugal helm, overseeing their 2024/25 UEFA Nations League triumph.
Erik ten Hag
The Dutch coach inspired Go Ahead Eagles to promotion in his first managerial job, but really made his name at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and guiding them to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19. He later won further silverware at Manchester United, lifting the FA Cup and League Cup.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
A renowned striker who landed six Premier League titles at Manchester United and scored the winner in the 1998/99 Champions League final, Solskjær steered Molde to two league championships in his native Norway then reached the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League final as United boss.
Thomas Frank
A considered and thoughtful coach, Frank spent 18 years in youth set-ups and was assistant at Brentford before being given the top job in 2018. There, he earned the club's first-ever promotion to the Premier League and kept them there for four seasons, before he departed for a stint at Tottenham.
Rudi Garcia
Garcia has thrived in spells at big clubs including Lille, Roma, Marseille – where he was a Europa League runner-up in 2017/18 – Lyon and Napoli. He was most recently in charge of the Belgium national team, taking them to the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
Gaizka Mendieta
A two-time Champions League runner-up with Valencia, midfielder Mendieta also played in Italy and England and was capped 40 times by Spain. Since hanging up his boots in 2008, the former Barcelona player has been doing media work along with a spot of DJing.
Kasper Hjulmand
After leading Nordsjælland to their first ever Danish Superliga title, Hjulmand impressed in charge of the Denmark national team, getting to the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2020. He later spent the 2025/26 season at Leverkusen, taking them to the round of 16 in the Champions League.
Rafa Benítez
Benítez made his name by winning two league championships and the UEFA Cup with Valencia in the early 2000s before steering Liverpool to a famous victory in the 2005 Champions League final. He subsequently won the 2012/13 Europa League at Chelsea.
Ernesto Valverde
Valverde has captured an impressive 12 major trophies as a coach, including three Greek Super League titles with Olympiacos, two La Liga titles with Barcelona and a Spanish Cup with Athletic Club in 2024 – their first trophy in 40 years.
Frank de Boer
The 112-cap Netherlands defender lifted multiple domestic titles at Ajax and Barcelona, as well as the 1994/95 Champions League with the Amsterdam club. He picked up four more Dutch league crowns as Ajax coach from 2010–16, and later led the Oranje to UEFA EURO 2020.
Rui Faria
Rui Faria worked as assistant to José Mourinho, winning the UEFA Cup and Champions League at Porto, various domestic trophies with Chelsea and Real Madrid, the 2009/10 Champions League with Inter and then the 2016/17 Europa League with Manchester United.
Sean Dyche
A no-nonsense centre-back as a player, Dyche started his managerial career with Watford before spending nearly a decade at Burnley, earning them two promotions to the Premier League and a first-ever qualification for the Europa League in 2018. He has since occupied the hot seat at both Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Aitor Karanka
A La Liga and Champions League winner with Real Madrid between two spells at Athletic Club, defender Karanka became Spain's Under-16 coach after hanging up his boots. He subsequently took the helm at Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Birmingham, Granada and Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Avram Grant
A youth coach since his teens, Grant guided Maccabi Tel-Aviv to two Israeli titles before coaching Israel from 2002–06. He took Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2007/08, won a league title in Serbia with Partizan, and also served as Zambia's national team boss.
Roy Hodgson
One of the most experienced Technical Observers, Hodgson has managed a total of 22 different teams in eight countries, including four national sides: Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Finland and England. The well-travelled veteran, who speaks five languages, last season returned to Bristol City to help them avoid relegation.
Sir Gareth Southgate
A defender and midfielder who collected 57 caps for England, Southgate moved from playing to coaching at Middlesbrough in 2006, then managed England's U21s before taking the senior job in 2016. He led his side to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of the 2020 and 2024 EUROs.
Ange Postecoglou
Having established his coaching reputation in Australia, Greece-born Ange Postecoglou brought his attacking style of play to Europe, securing a domestic double and then a domestic treble in two seasons at Celtic, before steering Tottenham to Europa League glory in 2024/25.
Arne Slot
Slot made his name at Feyenoord, reaching the UEFA Conference League final in 2022 and winning an Eredivisie title and Dutch Cup in the following two campaigns. He joined Liverpool in 2024 and immediately guided the club to their second Premier League trophy in five years before departing Anfield this summer.
Justin Cochrane
Cochrane played for a total of 11 English clubs as a centre-back and won 14 caps for Antigua and Barbuda. Since retirement he has been involved as both a youth team and first team assistant coach at Tottenham and is now part of Thomas Tuchel's England set-up, specialising in individual player development.
David Adams
Chief football officer at the Football Association of Wales, Adams oversees the senior men's and women's national teams. Formerly a sports science lecturer, he was head of coaching at Swansea City and assistant head coach at Middlesbrough before assuming his current position.
Ian Woan
A left-winger who spent a decade at Nottingham Forest, where he featured in the UEFA Cup, Woan has been involved in youth coaching and assistant roles at the likes of Swindon Town, Nottingham Forest, Watford, Burnley and Everton. He was briefly caretaker manager of Portsmouth.
Mixu Paatelainen
After a successful playing career as a striker in Scotland and England, the 70-cap Finnish international moved into coaching. He took the reins at Hibernian, Kilmarnock and Dundee United and also coached the Finland, Latvia and Hong Kong national teams.
Michael O'Neill
A midfielder for Newcastle United, Dundee United and Hibernian among others, O'Neill won 31 caps for Northern Ireland. He steered Shamrock Rovers to back-to-back championships in the Republic of Ireland, and is in his second spell as Northern Ireland boss, having led his country to EURO 2016.
Kieran McKenna
Regarded as one of the brightest young British coaches, McKenna took his first senior managerial role at Ipswich Town in 2021. He earned Ipswich back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, and after they were relegated McKenna brought them straight back up last term before departing.
Claude Makélélé
A player so influential that the 'Makélélé role' has become a common phrase in football's lexicon. Regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of all time after starring for Real Madrid, Chelsea and Paris among others, Makélélé has also managed in France, Belgium and Greece.
Zlatko Zahovič
Slovenia's 35-goal all-time top scorer, Zahovič made his name as a silky attacking midfielder, shining particularly in Portugal during spells at Porto and Benfica where he won a combined four Primeira Liga titles. After retirement he returned to Slovenia and was director of football at Maribor.
Steve Cooper
A coach who always urges his teams to play with courage and flair, Cooper took charge of the England Under-16 and U17 teams before accepting his first senior post at Swansea. He went on to manage Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Danish side Brøndby.
Willi Ruttensteiner
Ruttensteiner established himself as a senior coach and youth expert in Austrian football, culminating in a six-year stint as Austria U21 boss from 1999. He was the Austrian national association's sporting director from 2001–17 and subsequently sporting director, then coach, of Israel.
Dušan Fitzel
A defensive midfielder who spent the bulk of his playing career at Dukla Praha, Fitzel made his name as a coach with Czechia's youth teams, then enjoyed a successful period in charge of Malta's national team from 2006–09.
Darren Fletcher
Fletcher played nearly 350 times for Manchester United after coming through the academy as a versatile midfielder, winning five Premier League titles and a Champions League. After spells at West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City he returned to United and has worked in various roles – currently U18 head coach.
David James
Capped 53 times by England, the goalkeeper had long stints in the Premier League with Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City and Portsmouth. Subsequent adventures have taken him to Iceland and India, while he has combined coaching with work as a television pundit.
Frans Hoek
A towering goalkeeper during his playing career, Hoek went on to serve as assistant to fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern München, Manchester United and the Netherlands national team. He has mentored goalkeepers such as Edwin van der Sar, David de Gea and Víctor Valdés.
Zlatko Dalić
Dalić was coach of the Croatia national team from 2017 until July 2026 and consistently had them excelling on the biggest stage, with second and third-place finishes at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as well as a runners-up spot in the 2023 Nations League. He was recently installed as United Arab Emirates national team boss.
Fatih Terim
Terim is one of the most recognisable faces in Turkish football after a career in which he has enjoyed three separate spells at the national-team helm and four with Galatasaray. He won the UEFA Cup and Super Cup in 2000, and reached the semi-finals of EURO 2008.
Ryan Giggs
The Premier League's third-top all-time appearance maker with 632 outings for Manchester United, former winger Giggs is considered one of the greatest players of his generation, with 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues in his glittering trophy cabinet. He coached Wales from January 2018 to November 2020.
Ralph Hasenhüttl
Austrian coach Hasenhüttl has earned the nickname 'Alpine [Jürgen] Klopp' due to similarities in their intense, high-energy style of play. He managed Leipzig to a second-place Bundesliga finish in his debut campaign before coaching Southampton for four seasons in the Premier League. He was most recently in charge of Wolfsburg.