Liverpool have appointed Andoni Iraola as their new head coach on a two-year deal after sacking Arne Slot on Saturday, bringing in the 43-year-old Spaniard to lead a club that still reached next season's Champions League despite a turbulent finish. Iraola, who won seven caps for Spain and spent most of his playing career at Athletic Club, arrives after Bournemouth's best top-flight season and a move that changes Liverpool's bench as quickly as the title slip did.
Iraola said he was "really excited" by the chance and called Liverpool "a massive club, one of the biggest in the world," adding that "Liverpool is Liverpool" and that the job offers him the chance to coach top players and fight for titles. He also made clear he understands the weight of the job. "Obviously when you arrive at a place, you cannot promise everything," he said. "But it's true that I understand where I'm coming and what is expected."
That expectation exists because Liverpool are not starting from scratch. They finished the Premier League season with 60 points, their lowest tally since 2015-16, and ended 25 points behind Arsenal, yet still booked a place in next season's Champions League. Slot had guided them to the Premier League title only a year earlier, which makes his dismissal after Saturday's decision all the more severe. For Iraola, the task is not just to steady the club but to justify why he was chosen over a crowded field of alternatives.
He left Bournemouth in April after saying he would move on this summer, having taken them to sixth place and Europa League qualification, finishing one place and three points behind Liverpool. He had also been linked with Crystal Palace and AC Milan, but Liverpool moved first and moved decisively. The appointment is the clearest sign yet that the club wanted a coach already used to exceeding expectations rather than someone learning on the job.
What gives the move its edge is how Iraola talks about Anfield itself. He recalled Bournemouth's trip there almost 10 months ago, when Federico Chiesa scored a late winner and "the place erupted." He said he wants to feel that atmosphere from the other side, and he wants to prove himself quickly enough to earn the right to belong. Liverpool have not confirmed when he will officially begin work or who will be on his staff, though he is understood to be keen to bring Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper with him. For now, the broad outline is set: a new manager, a short contract, and a club asking him to turn admiration into results fast.
