Iraola appointed Liverpool manager – Why did LFC choose the former Bournemouth boss?

Liverpool hired Andoni Iraola as manager on Thursday, turning to the former Bournemouth coach, whose intense and compelling approach to play resembles the ideology that brought the team so much success under former Anfield favorite Jurgen Klopp.

Iraola replaced Arne Slot, who was sacked by Liverpool last Saturday after a difficult second year in charge after emulating the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte by winning the Premier League title in his first season.

That took Liverpool to a record twenty English national championships.

Concerns about Liverpool’s playing style under Slot – the team lost 12 games in a disappointing title defense – were laid bare in a critical social media post by outgoing superstar Mohamed Salah, who called on the club to «return to the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear.» Tellingly, it resonated with a number of current Liverpool players.

In choosing Iraola, who favors a tough and urgent approach previously favored by the popular Klopp during his trophy-laden spell at Liverpool from 2015-2024, the club’s leadership appears to have taken on board Salah’s message.

However, the appointment – ​​overseen by Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, who was at Bournemouth when Iraola was hired there in 2023 – does not come without risk.

Iraola has never managed a club as big as Liverpool, with his only jobs coming before Bournemouth in short spells in charge at AEK Larnaca in Cyprus and second-tier Mirandes in Spain before spending three years at Rayo Vallecano.

He has also never won a major trophy or had to balance the demands of domestic and elite European competitions.

However, Liverpool wanted a manager who would play a ‘more aggressive and urgent’ style of football, and Iraola fits that bill perfectly, even if his off-field personality – modest and reserved – couldn’t be more different from that of the more outgoing and in-your-face Klopp.

(With input from The Associated Press)

Published on June 5, 2026