Liverpool are in talks with Andoni Iraola to become their new head coach, with the former Bournemouth manager the clear frontrunner for the Anfield vacancy. Sporting director Richard Hughes, who appointed Iraola at the Vitality Stadium in 2023, is leading negotiations with the 43-year-old Spaniard and his agent, Iñaki Ibáñez, in a process the club hopes to conclude before the World Cup begins on 11 June.
Iraola is available after leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season upon the expiry of his contract, making him an accessible option compared to other candidates who would require compensation. Liverpool’s urgency reflects a desire to give the new head coach adequate preparation time ahead of a pivotal campaign. The club has also considered Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeneß and Lens’s Pierre Sage in its search, but Iraola has consistently been regarded as the leading candidate.
Aggressive style and the Slot contrast
Iraola’s appointment would represent a deliberate shift in philosophy after Liverpool’s board concluded that the front-footed, aggressive approach they demand was lacking in Arne Slot’s second season. Slot was sacked on Saturday, 30 May, following a review led by Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards. The Dutchman had guided Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season, but the 2025–26 campaign unravelled into a fifth-place finish and 20 defeats across all competitions – Liverpool’s highest tally since 1992–93 – despite a summer transfer outlay of almost £450 million.
Iraola’s tactical blueprint is defined by relentless pressing, high defensive lines and vertical transitions that aim to overwhelm opponents in the final third. At Bournemouth he achieved the club’s highest ever league finish in the 2025–26 season, securing a sixth-place finish and European qualification for the first time in their history. That record, combined with a reputation for energetic, front-foot football, aligns directly with the criteria Liverpool’s leadership set after deciding on a “different approach” to Slot’s possession-based control. The style is seen as a return to the high-intensity DNA that defined the club under Jürgen Klopp, but adapted for modern tactical demands.
Hughes’s existing relationship with Iraola is expected to accelerate negotiations. The sporting director first brought the Basque coach to English football from Rayo Vallecano, and the two have maintained a strong working connection since. Hughes also retains a close rapport with Ibáñez, and talks are expected to progress swiftly now that formal discussions have begun.
Staff considerations
Liverpool have not yet made any approaches regarding additions to the coaching staff, despite links with their former midfielder Thiago Alcântara, who recently left his role on Hansi Flick’s staff at Barcelona. Any moves for Thiago – who departed Barcelona for personal reasons to focus on family and business ventures, including co-ownership of CE L’Hospitalet – will only be made once talks with Iraola reach their final stages. Iraola himself is understood to be keen to bring his former assistant at Bournemouth, Tommy Elphick, to Anfield. Elphick, 38, is highly rated and recently turned down the manager’s job at Bristol City, though Bournemouth are understood to be reluctant to lose him.
Among the alternative candidates considered, Hoeneß has attracted praise for transforming Stuttgart from relegation candidates into Champions League regulars and securing the DFB-Pokal in 2025, but he remains under contract until 2028, which could present a hurdle. Sage led Lens to a Coupe de France final and a second-place finish in Ligue 1, but has also been sacked previously by Lyon. Neither has received the same level of engagement as Iraola.
Liverpool’s coaching staff under Slot included first assistant Sipke Hulshoff, assistant John Heitinga, head of goalkeeper coaching Fabian Otte and goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel – the latter two departed at the end of the season. The new head coach’s preferred backroom team is expected to take shape once the manager’s own appointment is finalised.
