04/06/2026

THURSDAY | JUNE 4, 2026

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Done deal Iraola verbally agrees to Liverpool coaching job after Slot sacking A NDONI IRAOLA has verbally agreed to become Liverpool’s next head coach as they close in on a successor to the sacked Arne Slot. foundations that will endure. “At the same time, a new generation is emerg ing, ready to write its own story and embrace the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt. “Change is part of football, but I know that this club will continue to make its people proud.”

Liverpool opened talks with the Basque on Tuesday morning and made swift progress, with the former Bournemouth manager willing to accept the job. Sporting director Richard Hughes, who took Iraola to Bournemouth three years ago, is leading Liverpool’s bid to find a replacement for Slot. They want to make a swift appointment and it is likely Iraola will be confirmed in the next few days. Hughes identified Iraola, who left Bournemouth after taking them to the highest fin ish in their history, believing the Spaniard can play the fast, aggressive football Liverpool want – and which Slot’s side failed to do last season. Liverpool are also considering Lens’s Pierre Sage and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, but Iraola soon became the early frontrunner. Iraola could look to bring in his backroom team from Bournemouth, with Slot’s staff of Sipke Hulshoff, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ruben Peeters expected to leave Anfield. The 43-year-old Spaniard is keen to bring Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, his assistants at Bournemouth, to Anfield as part of his coaching staff. Bournemouth are yet to have any formal con tact from either Elphick or Cooper regarding their futures. Elphick, a lifelong Liverpool fan, has had no contact yet from the Reds but would be inter ested in the opportunity. The former Bournemouth centreback, 38, turned down the opportunity to become the Bristol City manager last week in order to assess his other options. The Reds sacked Slot on Saturday, just a year after the Dutchman guided them to the Premier League title. In a letter to the Liverpool fanbase, Slot wrote this week that he leaves “knowing the club is exactly where it belongs: amongst Europe’s elite”. “Securing Champions League football was an important responsibility,” he said, “and one that ensures Liverpool can continue competing at the highest level next season and beyond. “I leave with complete confidence in what lies ahead. The players who have given so much to this club, who have upheld its values and helped cre ate so many unforgettable moments, have built

Here a look at the numbers behind his Iraola’s career that explain why Liverpool are so keen on the Spaniard: 0 Iraola leaves Bournemouth on a 19-match unbeaten run and having secured Europa League football, the club’s first ever European qualification. 0 The Cherries lost only seven League games all season on their way to sixth place – only title contenders Arsenal and Manchester City suf fered fewer defeats. Liverpool lost 12 games despite finishing one place ahead of Bournemouth. 0 Across his three seasons in charge, Iraola’s side won 47 of their 127 games (37%), with 40 draws and 40 losses. They scored 196 goals and con ceded 184, averaging 1.54 goals for and 1.45 against. 0 Iraola’s sides finished 12th, ninth and sixth in the top flight, equalling and then surpassing their best Premier League finishes. The Cherries pre viously finished ninth in 2016-17 and 12th the following year, both under Eddie Howe. 0 Bournemouth’s success has come despite fre quently selling their best performers. Last season alone, three of Iraola’s first-choice back four departed in pre-season with the club receiving a combined £144.5m (RM750m) in reported fees for Milos Kerkez – with whom Iraola could be reunited at Anfield – Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi. Antoine Semenyo then joined Manchester City in January. 0 Semenyo was the club’s top scorer across Iraola’s reign with 31 goals in all competitions. They had a different top scorer in each of his three seasons in charge as Dominic Solanke also moved on and teenager Junior Kroupi emerged this season to take on the burden from Semenyo and Justin Kluivert. 0 Iraola’s previous managerial roles came with AEK Larnaca, where he won the 2018 Cypriot Super Cup, Mirandes in the Spanish second tier, and then Rayo Vallecano where he won promotion to La Liga before finishing 12th and 11th in the fol lowing two seasons. Across all four clubs he has a 38.4% win rate. The Independent

High noon Former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is set to become Liverpool’s new head coach after verbally agreeing to a two-year deal until June 2028. – @fabrizioromano/Instagram

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