Replacing Arne Slot, Andoni Iraola is enthusiastic to kick off a new era at Liverpool

Liverpool has officially turned a new page by appointing Andoni Iraola as manager of The Reds for the 2026/27 season. This decision was announced following Arne Slot's departure from Anfield last weekend, officially kicking off a new era for the club under the Spanish tactician.

Iraola's appointment was not made without clear reasoning. The 43-year-old manager arrives at Merseyside with a rapidly rising reputation, after guiding Bournemouth through one of the most successful campaigns in the club's entire history.

Throughout the 2025/26 season, he successfully led The Cherries to finish 6th in the English Premier League and secured a Europa League spot, marking the very first European competition the club has ever qualified for.

For Iraola, the chance to take charge of Liverpool represents a massive career leap in his coaching journey. He openly admitted he could not hide his excitement upon being offered the opportunity to lead one of the world's biggest football clubs.

"I am incredibly thrilled. Everyone knows what Liverpool is, everyone understands this is a giant institution, one of the very biggest clubs on the planet," Iraola stated on Liverpool's official website.

The Basque native explained that Liverpool provides everything a manager could ever desire, from world class playing personnel, unwavering supporter backing, right through to the opportunity to compete for top tier honours.

"The atmosphere here, the fans, this entire club, the players, the chance to coach elite footballers, and the opportunity to fight for major titles. You will struggle to find anything more exciting than this. I cannot wait to get started," he added.

Before transitioning into coaching, Iraola established himself as one of the finest right backs to ever represent Athletic Club. Over 12 seasons with the Bilbao based side, he recorded over 500 appearances and became a cornerstone of the club's defence.

At international level with the Spain National Team, Iraola earned 7 senior caps before retiring from professional football with New York City FC in 2016.

His coaching career first began in 2018 with AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. He immediately won the Cypriot Super Cup title with the side, before moving on to manage Mirandes and then Rayo Vallecano.

Iraola first began earning widespread attention across European football when he secured promotion to La Liga with Rayo Vallecano in his very first season at the club. This success then earned him his move to the Premier League with Bournemouth in 2023.

At Bournemouth, Iraola built an aggressive, high-pressing system that could reliably compete against the league's biggest clubs. The peak of his tenure arrived last season, when Bournemouth recorded an 18 match unbeaten run during the second half of the campaign.

This spectacular run of form carried the club to that 6th placed league finish and wrote Club History with their historic Europa League qualification.

Now, as he takes the reins at Liverpool, the biggest challenge of Andoni Iraola's entire coaching career has only just begun.