Cremers leaves Wales role as key Bellamy assistant
· Yahoo Sports
Piet Cremers has quit his position as Wales men's assistant coach, leaving boss Craig Bellamy without one of his key backroom staff.
Visit moryak.biz for more information.
The 31-year-old Dutchman is the new head coach of Club NXT, Club Brugge's youth academy that play in the Belgian second tier, replacing Jonas De Roeck.
Cremers worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City as head of performance analysis and insights, and he was one of Bellamy's first appointments in August 2024 after he had taken the reins of the national team.
"I am proud to be joining Club NXT. Club Brugge's clear soccer vision and focus on talent development align perfectly with my approach," Cremers told the Club Brugge website.
"I look forward to working with the staff to create an environment where players can develop to their full potential and be ready for the step up to the first team."
- FAW chief expects Bellamy to remain Wales boss
- Wales boss Bellamy has 'burnt bridges' - Roberts
- Bellamy to stay with Wales as Burnley move off
Bellamy and Cremers were previously assistant coaches to Vincent Kompany when the current Bayern Munich head coach was boss at Burnley.
Wales boss Bellamy had been in advanced talks to take charge at the Championship club before news emerged last week that the 46-year-old's possible switch to Turf Moor was off.
Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive Noel Mooney has since said that he expects Bellamy to remain as head coach.
The FAW said it "would like to thank Cremers for his work with the Cymru men's national team and wish him the best for the future".
The coach who meant 'everything' to Bellamy
BBC Sport Wales' Dafydd Pritchard examined Cremers' importance to Bellamy, three months into the Dutchman's tenure as Wales assistant:
Given that he worked as an analyst with Guardiola at Manchester City for four years, you can see why Cremers was the first person Bellamy turned to during Wales games.
Bellamy is as energetic on the touchline as he was as a player and, whenever he darts back to his seat in the dugout, he was usually doing so to consult Cremers and his screen.
They analysed the game in real time, watched replays to better understand what they had just witnessed with their own eyes, processed data to decide how best to adapt and make the next move.
The Wales job is Bellamy's first managerial role in senior football but, having worked with Cremers as part of Kompany's staff at Burnley, this was already a well-established working relationship.
When he is asked what Cremers brought to his Wales set-up, Bellamy had simply said: "Everything."
Under their guidance, Burnley stormed to the Championship title in 2023 and, although they only lasted one season in the Premier League, their accomplishments – and the playing style which accompanied them – convinced the mighty Bayern Munich to hire Kompany as their manager.
Once Bellamy took charge of Wales and started assembling his coaching team, he had to call Cremers.