Former Chelsea attacker Damien Duff has officially returned to English football, looking to make his mark as a first-team assistant coach ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
After honing his coaching skills in the academies of Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne, alongside first-team backroom stints at Celtic and the Republic of Ireland, Damien Duff took his first senior managerial role at Shelbourne in late 2021.
He immediately transformed the club, guiding them to an FAI Cup final in his debut season and securing European qualification the next. His crowning managerial achievement came in late 2024, when he defied odds to guide Shelbourne to their first League of Ireland Premier Division title since 2006.
Even more success after the two Premier League titles and a League Cup Duff won at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho.
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Damien Duff joins Brentford as assistant manager
Brentford announced that Duff had joined them earlier on today as the first-team assistant coach.
Keith Andrews was delighted with the appointment, as he spoke after the news broke.
“I’ve known Damien for a long time.
“I’ve seen him up close throughout his coaching journey. We’ve been on courses together and worked together as coaches with the Republic of Ireland national team.
“Damien will bring experience, presence and a real level of detail to our coaching department. He will add to the great group we already have and I’m very pleased that he is joining us.”
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