LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool Football Club have officially confirmed the appointment of Andoni Iraola as their new head coach on a two-year contract, completing a swift managerial transition following the dismissal of Arne Slot.
The 43-year-old Spaniard moves to Merseyside after an extraordinary campaign with Bournemouth, where he guided the Cherries to a historic sixth-place finish in the Premier League—ending up just one place and three points adrift of Liverpool.
Okay News reports that the high-profile managerial pursuit was orchestrated by Fenway Sports Group’s chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, alongside sporting director Richard Hughes. Hughes maintains a deep professional relationship with Iraola, having previously headhunted and appointed him during his tenure as Bournemouth’s technical director in 2023.
The decision to execute a sharp course correction just a year after Slot guided the Reds to a Premier League title stems from ownership’s desire to restore a more aggressive, front-foot, and high-intensity style of football at Anfield. Despite qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League, Liverpool stumbled to a fifth-place finish with 60 points—their lowest domestic tally since the 2015–16 season and a distant 25 points behind champions Arsenal, failing to build on a staggering £415 million summer transfer outlay that saw the arrivals of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
“Really excited, really excited,” Iraola stated during his official unveiling on Thursday, June 4, 2026. “Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world. I think Liverpool gives me the chance to coach top players, and top players give you the chance to fight for titles. I’m ready for the challenge.”
Iraola is expected to immediately begin integrating his preferred backroom technical staff, with discussions underway to bring his trusted Bournemouth assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper to Anfield. Meanwhile, Bournemouth have moved aggressively to fill their vacancy, officially confirming former RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose as Iraola’s immediate successor at the Vitality Stadium.
