Arne Slot was sacked after a 20-defeat season ending in fifth place, just a year after winning the Premier League
Iraola led Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish and the club's first-ever European qualification
Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes originally brought Iraola to English football at Bournemouth
Liverpool are wasting no time in turning the page. Days after parting ways with Arne Slot, just one year after the Dutchman delivered the club's 20th league title, the Reds have zeroed in on their man. Andoni Iraola is now reliably reported to have agreed terms on a contract with Liverpool, with the Spaniard set to be confirmed as the Reds' new head coach.
A formal announcement is expected imminently, bringing to an end one of the more dramatic managerial sagas English football has seen in recent memory.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group made the decision to sack Slot in the belief that "change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward," following a 20-defeat season that ended with boos from supporters and a fifth-place finish. The scale of the fall from their title-winning campaign made the decision, while still difficult, increasingly inevitable.
Why Iraola Is the Right Man for Anfield
The 43-year-old Basque coach arrives at Anfield having just completed arguably the most impressive overachievement of the English Premier League season. The Cherries finished high in each of Iraola's seasons at Bournemouth, progressing from 12th to ninth before securing Europa League football in 2025-26 with a sixth-place finish, just a place and three points behind Liverpool.
This came despite losing key men Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Illia Zabarnyi and Dango Ouattara during the summer, and then selling top scorer Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City in January. Yahoo SportsYahoo Sports
Sporting director Richard Hughes, who is spearheading Liverpool's negotiations, believes Iraola's trademark high-pressing, aggressive tactical blueprint is perfectly aligned with the long-term footballing philosophy favoured by the Anfield hierarchy. Crucially, Hughes knows Iraola well, it was he who originally brought the Spaniard to English football at Bournemouth in 2023.
What to Expect and What Comes Next
Iraola is reportedly set to sign a two-year deal, consistent with the short-term contracts he has favoured throughout his managerial career. He is keen to bring his trusted Bournemouth assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper with him to Merseyside.
He is set to oversee his first pre-season from early July, with Liverpool embarking on a tour of the United States that includes friendlies against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds.
At Bournemouth, Iraola guided the club to continental qualification for the first time in its 127-year history, with the Spaniard receiving a rousing send-off at full-time in his final home game at the Vitality Stadium.
He now arrives at a club with far greater resources, and far greater expectations. Liverpool's supporters will be hoping the same tactical clarity and relentless pressing identity that made Bournemouth one of the Premier League's most compelling teams can be transplanted to Anfield without missing a beat.
