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Iraola replaces Slot
Liverpool appointed Andoni Iraola as their new head coach, with Iraola signing a two-year deal at Anfield to succeed Arne Slot after Slot was sacked on Saturday.
“El Liverpool ha anunciado a Andoni Iraola como nuevo entrenador para la próxima temporada”
Sky Sports said Iraola, the former Bournemouth boss, emerged as the frontrunner after Slot was sacked on May 30, just a year on from winning the Premier League.
Sky News reported that Liverpool FC said on X: "We can confirm Andoni Iraola has agreed a deal to become the club's new head coach ahead of the 2026-27 season."
Sky Sports added that the process was being led by sporting director Richard Hughes, who appointed Iraola at Bournemouth in 2023 before he moved to Anfield the following year.
Sky Sports also said Iraola and Bournemouth completed an 18-game unbeaten run during the second half of the 2025/26 Premier League season, leading to a sixth-place finish and Europa League football.
Style and backroom
Liverpool’s appointment was framed around a more aggressive, front-footed style, with Sky Sports saying the club feel Iraola is the best manager to make them more aggressive and implement a front-footed style.
The Guardian reported that other coaches were considered, including Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness and Pierre Sage of Lens, but Iraola was always Liverpool’s favoured option and the only one spoken to about the vacancy.
Speaking to Liverpool’s media channel, Iraola said: “No better place than Anfield.”
The Guardian also said Liverpool’s approach for Iraola was led by sporting director Richard Hughes, who also appointed him at Bournemouth in 2023 after sacking Gary O’Neil.
Sky Sports said Iraola was the only one spoken to and that Liverpool were exploring the options regarding his backroom staff.
Europa and expectations
Iraola arrives after Bournemouth’s best ever Premier League finish, with Sky News saying the Spaniard led AFC Bournemouth to their best ever Premier League finish last season and that the sixth-placed finish meant the club qualified for the Europa League next season.
Sky News said Iraola oversaw the Cherries' defeat of Liverpool in January and that he announced he would leave this summer at the end of his contract.
The Guardian reported that Iraola arrived on Merseyside on Thursday and has signed a contract that ties him to Liverpool until the end of the 2027/28 season.
The Guardian added that Iraola intends to bring his assistants at Bournemouth, Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, analyst Tom Webber and fitness coach Pablo de la Torre with him to Anfield, while Liverpool have not finalised any additions to their new backroom team as yet.
Sky Sports said the club feel the 43-year-old is the best manager to make them more aggressive and implement a front-footed style as they look to challenge for the Premier League.
