Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement with Andoni Iraola for him to become their new head coach, according to The Athletic on Tuesday night. The 43-year-old Spanish coach has quickly emerged as the front-runner to succeed Arne Slot, whose departure was announced on Saturday.
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The expectation is that Iraola will sign a two-year contract, similar to the contracts he had while playing for Bournemouth, with whom he ends his contract on June 30th.
The negotiations were led by Liverpool’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, who knows Iraola well, having been responsible for his signing to Bournemouth in the summer of 2023, as Gary O’Neil’s successor. If everything goes as planned, Liverpool should make it official and present the new coach before the end of the week.
It is worth remembering that, during his three years at Bournemouth, Iraola led the team to 12th, 9th and 6th places in the Premier League, also guaranteeing an unprecedented qualification for the Europa League in the club’s history.
After becoming champion in his debut year, in 2024/25, Arne Slot ended up being fired after a disappointing season, in which the Reds did not win titles and even had their qualification for the Champions League at risk.
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