Andoni Iraola has been appointed Liverpool head coach as they brought a swift conclusion to their search for a successor to the sacked Arne Slot.
The 43-year-old Spaniard, who has signed a two-year deal at Anfield, became Liverpool’s first choice after they decided he met their demand for a manager who played a more attacking, high-tempo and aggressive style of play.
Liverpool were attracted by the former Bournemouth manager’s ability to overachieve relative to resources and to improve players, while they were looking for a head coach with a proven track record in the Premier League and a clear footballing identity.
Slot was dismissed on Saturday and Liverpool soon alighted on Iraola as their preferred candidate. They began in-person talks on Tuesday, reaching a verbal agreement later that day. The Basque has only agreed a deal until 2028, but it is in keeping with the contracts he signed at his previous clubs.
“I’m really excited, really excited,” Iraola told Liverpool’s official website. “Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world.
“But feeling inside and understanding a little bit more of this club, I always thought it’s a special club. You don’t need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool.
“But obviously the atmosphere, the supporters, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it cannot be more attractive than this. It’s difficult to find it. So, really excited to start.”
Iraola had become one of the most in-demand managers in the summer market and Liverpool saw off interest from AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace, realising when they spoke him that his first and only choice was to go to Anfield.
Liverpool had also considered Sebastian Hoeness of VfB Stuttgart and Pierre Sage of Lens but soon concluded that Iraola was the stand-out candidate. He was the only manager Liverpool interviewed.
Iraola was taken to Bournemouth by Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes in 2023 after three seasons in charge of Rayo Vallecano.
However, Liverpool’s interest in him predated Hughes’ arrival. They had once tried to sign him as a player and had followed his coaching career for more than a decade.
He led Bournemouth to finishes of 12th, ninth and then sixth, earning them a place in Europe for the first time in their history and only finishing one place behind his new club.
Liverpool noted that Iraola’s achievements in Dorset came with one of the smallest budgets in the division and when Bournemouth sold players for around £250m in the last two transfer windows.
Liverpool had struggled for goals this season, scoring 23 fewer than in their title-winning campaign of 2024-25, despite spending heavily on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, and were attracted by Iraola’s record with attacking players, both in terms of helping them get better and to become more potent.
Under Iraola, Antoine Semenyo went on to become one of the leading scorers in the Premier League and to earn a £64m move to Manchester City while young players such as Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi developed dramatically. While Liverpool have spent heavily, they do not want to rely on expensive recruitment and were attracted by Iraola’s record of improving footballers he inherited.
While Slot’s football came to seem too slow and while Liverpool were outrun in the vast majority of their league games last season, Iraola’s belief in high pressing and energetic football offered similarities with Jurgen Klopp’s approach, meaning the Merseyside club felt he was both a continuity candidate and a coach who will evolve the current side.
Slot was a newcomer to the Premier League who excelled in his debut season but struggled in the second and Liverpool believed that Iraola, with three years in the division already, represented a low-risk choice in that respect. Iraola has never managed a club of Liverpool’s size but they are confident he has the personality and leadership to cope.
They are yet to finalise Iraola’s backroom staff, though he is expected to bring some of his coaching team from Bournemouth.
