Liverpool Appoints Andoni Iraola After Sacking Arne Slot, Reaches Verbal Agreement

Liverpool moved to appoint Andoni Iraola after sacking Arne Slot on Saturday, with the Dutchman’s departure leaving the club searching for a new head coach at Anfield.

The London Evening Standard said the Reds turned to Bournemouth boss Iraola to “transform their fortunes,” after Liverpool’s record £446million summer transfer spend followed their league title win.

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Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam said Iraola will face a “completely different” challenge at Liverpool, even as the Spaniard was verbally agreed to become Slot’s successor.

The New York Times reported Liverpool reached a verbal agreement with Iraola to make him their new head coach, with the Spaniard expected to join on a two-year contract.

Multiple outlets tied the timing to the World Cup, with The Guardian saying Liverpool want to complete their managerial switch before the World Cup starts on 11 June.

Murphy, a former Liverpool midfielder quoted by the London Evening Standard, said he was “quite excited” because “there's no reason to think he's not going to try and play the same way” as Bournemouth.

Sky Sports described the scrutiny Iraola will face, with McAdam saying he will be “faced with 25, 30, 40 journalists maybe even more on a Champions League night.”

BBC

The New York Times said talks with Iraola have been led by sporting director Richard Hughes, who “knows Iraola well having appointed him as Gary O’Neil’s successor at Bournemouth in the summer of 2023.”

The Guardian reported Iraola is set to sign a two-year contract and wants to bring assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, analyst Tom Webber and fitness coach Pablo de la Torre with him to Merseyside.

The Empire of The Kop said The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported Liverpool reached a ‘verbal agreement’ with Iraola and that he’s expected to take the job on an initial two-year contract.

Liverpool’s incoming plan centers on Iraola’s backroom staff, with The Guardian listing Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper, Tom Webber and Pablo de la Torre as the group he wants to bring to Merseyside.

The New York Times said Iraola wants to be accompanied by Pablo de la Torre, Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Tom Webber, while work continues over the make-up of his backroom staff.

The New York Times also framed the summer workload around departures and contract uncertainty, saying there are “glaring gaps in the squad following the departures of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate as free agents.”

The Guardian added that Ibrahima Konaté appears poised to join Real Madrid on a free transfer after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract at Liverpool.

Sky Sports said Iraola is set to arrive on Merseyside this Thursday to sign his contract and become Liverpool’s new head coach, with the club aiming to have him installed before the end of this week.