The little-known ex-Sheffield United man helping shape Borussia Dortmund's fortunes after rapid rise

Around five years ago, when Alex Clapham was a little-known coach holding an academy position at his beloved Sheffield United, even he surely could not have believed the rapid rise to prominence ahead of him. The Sheffielder and boyhood Blades fan is now working at one of the biggest clubs in the world, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

Clapham was back at Bramall Lane for last weekend’s derby-day victory over Wednesday and may have raised a wry smile when the Blades’ winner came from a recycled free-kick, given that is his area of expertise these days. He was appointed as a set-piece coach at the Westfalenstadion earlier this year, at 35 years of age - after the role was created following Dortmund’s set-piece struggles last season.

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Almost one-third of the goals they conceded came from set-pieces - only three teams in the league had a worse record - and they lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid after they scored their first goal from a corner, and so Clapham was seen as a key piece of manager Nuri Sahin’s jigsaw. “You learn from the best,” Sahin said. “I have exchanged ideas with the best. If it didn’t make sense, I wouldn’t have brought Alex on board. First, he’s a great guy. Secondly, it’s extremely important. That’s why I asked the club for it, and I believe we’ve brought in one of the best.”

Clapham applied to take the UEFA B coaching course nine times while in England and was rejected each time, so made the decision to uproot to Spain 10 years ago. Formerly a coach with Notts County and Southampton, Clapham later achieved his UEFA A and pro-licence qualifications while in Spain and became a set-piece specialist at the Saints before leaving for a similar role at Brazilian side Vasco da Gama two years ago.

In a 2021 piece in The Guardian, Clapham wrote: “I had grown up on the physical English game, which prioritised guts and grit over style and guile, but I had become mesmerised by the football produced by Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa, Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque. Spanish football was unrivalled both technically and tactically, and its coaches were climbing up the ladder. I wanted to do the same.”

Clapham’s arrival has improved Dortmund’s record from set-pieces already with further gains expected as his methods continue to take effect. "He's doing really well,” said Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck. “He's really motivated. We have a little meeting once a week. He tells us things he wants to improve, offensively and defensively.”