Liverpool FC has apparently found a successor for team manager Arne Slot, who was fired on Saturday.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reports on X that the Reds club management has decided on Andoni Iraola as the new head coach. The 43-year-old, who is leaving AFC Bournemouth, is expected to sign his contract at Anfield next week.
Other media outlets also reported on Iraola’s role as favorite in Liverpool’s coaching search, including “The Athletic” and the “Liverpool Echo”.
Sebastian Hoeneß from VfB Stuttgart was also considered to have outside chances. He and other candidates now appear to be out of the running.
Iraola had made an outstanding name for himself with his work on the island. He sensationally led underdog Bournemouth to sixth place in the Premier League and thus into the Europa League for the first time in the club’s history, before he announced his departure from the Cherries.
Since then, the tactical fox has been in great demand on the market. Apparently Bayer Leverkusen also dealt intensively with Iraola, but now has to look elsewhere.
At Liverpool FC, with the designated new coach, they want to establish a more aggressive, courageous offensive football again – a style that Jürgen Klopp once perfected and that Iraola also preaches.
The Spaniard also maintains an excellent relationship with Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes, who once steered him to Bournemouth.
Liverpool FC: Slot out “so that the club can continue to make progress”
The Reds announced Slot’s expulsion on Saturday afternoon. In the past season, national player Florian Wirtz’s club only finished fifth in the Premier League – disappointing given Liverpool’s ambitions.
“It goes without saying that this was a difficult decision for us as a club,” the Reds said in their statement and praised Slot for his achievements.
There was initially little information about the reasons for the expulsion. “At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that changes are necessary for the club to move forward,” it simply said. “However, the conclusion we have come to is based on the belief that the team’s development can best be managed through a change of direction.”
