Aston Villa have just added Newcastle United’s key man to their backroom staff ahead of the 2026/27 Champions League campaign.
Aston Villa’s transfer plan this season does not only focus on players but also on the backroom staff. Unai Emery has lost several of his trusted personnel from last season, including assistant Pako Ayestaran, individual performance coach Antonio Saravia Rodri and set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.
Recently, Villa secured a new set-piece coach from the Norway national team, Pal Fjelde. This week, they added another new face to their backroom staff, as reported by Birmingham Mail.
“Aston Villa have appointed Newcastle United’s Daniel Garcia as assistant goalkeeping coach.”
The 30-year-old Spanish coach was part of Eddie Howe’s backroom staff from May 2022 before leaving The Magpies this summer. He initially joined the club to work with the youth team when he first arrived in 2018.
Previously, he held the same role as a goalkeeping coach with Rayo Vallecano’s youth side for two years. It was a new position for him after working as a fitness coach for a year.
Ahead of the 2022/23 season, Garcia was promoted to Newcastle’s first-team staff to help improve the performance of their goalkeepers. The Magpies had several notable goalkeepers in the squad alongside first choice Nick Pope, including Martin Dubravka and former Arsenal man Aaron Ramsdale.
The Madrid-born coach was not the only member of staff to leave following changes at Newcastle. Jason Tindall, Graeme Jones, Simon Weatherstone and Stephen Purches also departed.
At Bodymoor Heath, Garcia will work as an assistant to Javi Garcia and help improve the form of Marco Bizot, James Wright, new signing Zion Suzuki, and Emiliano Martinez, particularly if the Argentine fails to seal a move again after the deadline day.
The addition of Daniel Garcia could be quite vital to Aston Villa’s strategic plan ahead of the new season. In 2026/27, The Lions could be left with three notable goalkeepers following the arrival of Suzuki and the potential departure of Emiliano Martinez, while they still have Marco Bizot, who has been a reliable backup when necessary.
It could be seen as an attempt to prepare for such circumstances. Emery has to brace for the worse possible situation, sharing task in double first goalkeepers set up.
Garcia is someone who has experienced a similar situation. He helped improve the form of Nick Pope, Dubravka and Ramsdale during his time at St James’ Park.
In his first season, he helped Pope improve his save percentage and, most importantly, his ability to act as a sweeper. The Magpies finished fourth and qualified for the Champions League that season.
In the following campaigns, Garcia contributed to the impressive form of both Pope and Dubravka during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, before working with Pope and Ramsdale last season.
Their strong performances helped Newcastle end their long trophy drought by winning the EFL League Cup in 2025. They also qualified to the Champions League too in the same season. Perhaps that inspires Emery to use his service.
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