Official: Liverpool appoint Andoni Iraola as head coach

4 Jun 2026 19:36 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Liverpool have officially unveiled former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola as their new head coach.

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The Reds made the unexpected decision to sack previous manager Arne Slot last Saturday, following an end-of-season review. This came as a major surprise given that the club had spent the entire campaign insisting that the Dutchman retained the backing of the hierarchy.

Despite a record-breaking summer spend, Slot came under significant pressure for failing to arrest a downturn in form that had already set in towards the end of the Premier League title-winning 2024/25 season. Bland football and constant defeats saw the supporters turn on him.

Club bosses Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards used the week following the final game of the season - a disappointing 1-1 draw with Brentford that at least secured Champions League football - to analyse what exactly had gone wrong.

They ultimately came to the conclusion that a change needed to be made. To the surprise of Slot, he was informed by Hughes on Saturday morning that he would be relieved of his duties.

Liverpool appoint Iraola

Concomitantly with the news that Slot had been sacked, reports quickly emerged that departing Bournemouth head coach Iraola was the favourite to succeed the Dutchman on the Anfield hotseat.

Despite losing numerous key players, the Basque had overseen Bournemouth's best-ever Premier League finish, which saw them qualify for the Europa League for the first time in club history.

Iraola had his team playing the kind of high-octane football that Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah had demanded when he fired a social media shot at Slot following a chastening defeat to Aston Villa last month.

The 43-year-old was fielding interest from AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace, but after being contacted by Liverpool, he made it clear that he only wanted to take the Reds job.

As has become customary for the idiosyncratic coach, Iraola insisted on a two-year contract rather than a longer-term deal. This is how he likes to operate. He claims that he is not in it for the money and wants to earn his contract extensions.

Iraola arrived in Liverpool from San Sebastian on Thursday morning and was seen leaving the club's facilities in the afternoon. The club have now officially announced his appointment.

“Really excited, really excited,” Iraola said after his unveiling. “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.”

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