Iraola

Andoni Iraola left his role at Bournemouth at the end of the season and takes over at Liverpool in place of Arne Slot.

Liverpool has named Andoni Iraola as their new manager after sacking Arne Slot following a calamitous Premier League title defence.

Iraola quickly emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, whose two-year reign came to a shock end when he was dismissed last Saturday.

Liverpool gave no indication as to the length of the 43-year-old Spaniard’s contract, but British media have reported that he has signed a two-year deal.

“Really excited, really excited, because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world,” Iraola, who called time on his impressive spell with Bournemouth at the end of this season, said on Liverpool’s official website on Thursday.

“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.”

After criticism of Liverpool’s lacklustre performances in Slot’s second season at Anfield, Iraola is expected to deliver a more urgent, aggressive style of football, which characterised the team under beloved former manager Jurgen Klopp.

Iraola earned rave reviews for Bournemouth’s sixth-place finish in England’s Premier League this season, which secured the club’s first qualification for Europe, in the Europa League.

He arrived at the south coast club from Raya Vallecano in 2023, having previously managed Mirandes and AEK Larnaca in Cyprus.

Bournemouth improved each year under Iraola, finishing 12th, ninth and sixth.

The former defender was praised for his astute tactics and development of youngsters including Eli Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott.

Prior to leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, Egypt star Mohamed Salah recently called for a return to the “heavy metal football” that led to so much success under Klopp, heaping pressure on the beleaguered Slot.

Iraola has previously talked about his desire for his teams to play with an attacking, high-pressing style, in contrast to Slot’s more controlled approach.

Born in Spain’s Basque Country, Iraola played more than 500 games for Athletic Bilbao before a stint in Major League Soccer with New York City, where he teamed up with Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo.

He will arrive on Merseyside with Liverpool at a crossroads after Slot’s failure to maintain the club’s position at the summit of English football.

Slot had the tough task of replacing Klopp, who left in 2024 after winning the Premier League and Champions League during a golden nine-year spell at Anfield.

The former Feyenoord boss made a strong start, leading Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English league title in his debut season, spearheaded by Salah’s 29 goals.

But Slot was unable to halt Liverpool’s slide in the 2025-26 season as the Reds collapsed from late September onward, finishing a turbulent season without a trophy.

The death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota in a car crash last July had an immeasurable impact on the squad, while the club’s  450-million-pound ($605m) splurge on new signings failed to pay off.

Slot’s relationship with Salah also deteriorated, while Liverpool fans turned on the manager due to his team’s lifeless displays and poor results.

The club limped to a fifth-place finish, 25 points behind champions Arsenal, which at least guaranteed qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Liverpool are in advanced talks with Andoni Iraola as they look to appoint a new head coach following the sacking of Arne Slot.

Iraola left Bournemouth at the end of the season and is the clear favourite for the role at Anfield.

Liverpool are keen to make an appointment at the earliest possible opportunity and want a manager who fits their preferred playing style, which is to deliver front-foot, aggressive football.

No approaches have yet been made with regard to Iraola’s potential coaching staff, but the 43-year-old Spaniard is keen on bringing his assistant at Bournemouth, Tommy Elphick, a lifelong Liverpool fan, with him.

BBC Sport understands that Elphick has had no contact yet from the Reds but would be interested in the opportunity.

The former Bournemouth centre-back, 38, turned down the opportunity to become the Bristol City manager last week in order to assess his other options.

The hiring process at Anfield is being led by Richard Hughes, Liverpool‘s sporting director, who previously worked with Iraola at the Cherries.

The Reds sacked Slot on Saturday, just a year after the Dutchman guided them to the Premier League title.

Aston Villa winger Morgan Rogers is a target for Arsenal and PSG, Real Madrid’s interest in Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice increases, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson wants Juventus move.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has set his sights on Aston Villa‘s England winger Morgan Rogers, 23, as he bids to build on their Premier League title success although Champions League winners Paris St-Germain are also interested. (Mirror), external

Key figures at Real Madrid’s recruitment team are urging the club to pursue a move for Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice having been impressed by the 27-year-old England international’s leadership, physicality and technical qualities. (Teamtalk), external

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, 33, plans to tell the club’s new manager that he wants to end his time at Anfield and join Juventus. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Manchester United are closing in on an agreement to sign Brazilian midfielder Ederson, 26, from Atalanta for a fee of around £35m. (Talksport), external

Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, 30, does not want to make his loan from Bayern Munich to Tottenham a permanent one and will try to engineer a move to Sporting instead. (A Bola – in Portuguese), external

Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle are all interested in AC Milan’s Portuguese winger Rafael Leao with the 26-year-old keen to leave San Siro this summer. (Calciomercato – in Italian), external

Paris St-Germain have cooled their interest in Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez but the 26-year-old Argentina international is still on the radar of Arsenal and Barcelona. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been offered to Inter Milan but the Italian club do not see signing the 33-year-old Englishman as a priority. (Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia), external

Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, is keen to join Barcelona with his contract at Manchester City set to expire imminently. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Brighton will face competition from Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt for the signature of Wolfsburg’s 25-year-old Austrian winger Patrick Wimmer. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Crystal Palace have held another round of talks with highly-rated Lens manager Pierre Sage. (Mail), external

Como boss Cesc Fabregas is happy with the Italian club despite links with coaching jobs elsewhere, including Real Madrid. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Mateus Fernandes is wanted by Paris-St Germain, Andoni Iraola and Cesc Fabregas are among the candidates to replace Liam Rosenior at Chelsea, and Barcelona want Marcus Rashford to extend loan stay.

Paris St-Germain have established contact with representatives of 21-year-old Portugal and West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes. (Foot Mercato – in French), external

Chelsea are drawing up a shortlist of candidates to replace Liam Rosenior, with departing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola among those under consideration. (RMC Sport – in French), external

Chelsea are also looking at former midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who is currently managing Italian club Como. (Football Insider), external

Barcelona want Marcus Rashford, 28, to stay on loan next season rather than pay Manchester United the previously agreed £26m to sign the England forward permanently. (Mirror), external

Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Newcastle have expressed an interest in signing Manchester City and England goalkeeper James Trafford, 23. (Goal), external

Manchester United have told Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes, 31, that they want him to stay at Old Trafford. (Sun), external

Sunderland could sack French manager Regis Le Bris at the end of the season if he fails to secure European football for the club. (Talksport), external

Bayern Munich are not looking to extend 24-year-old Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson’s loan stay from Chelsea at the end of the season. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Barcelona are assessing several attacking targets for the summer with Manchester City‘s Portugal forward Bernardo Silva, 31, and Chelsea‘s Portugal forward Pedro Neto, 26, among them. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external

Juventus are targeting a goalkeeper this summer and have placed Liverpool and Brazil stopper Alisson, 33, at the top of their list. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Manchester United are keeping tabs on Bournemouth‘s English midfielder Alex Scott, 22. (Mirror), external

United are also keen on Benfica’s Richard Rios, with the 25-year-old Colombia international an option in midfield. (Caught Offside), external

Bournemouth have joined the race for Bayer Leverkusen’s 23-year-old USA midfielder Malik Tillman. (Teamtalk), external

Fulham are looking at contingency plans in case manager Marco Silva decides to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. (The i), external

Arsenal are keeping an eye on Turkey midfielder Arda Guler, 21, who could be tempted to leave Real Madrid due uncertainty over manager Alvaro Arbeloa’s future. (Caught Offside), external