Andoni Iraola has agreed a two-year contract at Liverpool and is set to be unveiled as the Reds’ new head coach this week.
The Spaniard has emerged as the standout option to replace Arne Slot at Anfield, following his dismissal last Saturday.
Now, the reliable David Ornstein of The Athletic, among others, reports that Liverpool have reached a “verbal agreement” with Iraola over a two-year deal.
The 43-year-old guided Bournemouth to an impressive sixth-place finish in the Premier League in 2025/26, playing some of the most entertaining football in the division along the way.
Iraola wants to bring fitness coach Pablo de la Torre, assistant coach Tommy Elphick, set-piece coach Shaun Cooper and analyst Tom Webber with him from the south coast.
De la Torre was already out of contract, having left along with Iraola at the end of the season, but Cooper and Webber’s release will require compensation with Bournemouth to be agreed.
The quartet will effectively replace the outgoing Dutch contingent of Sipke Hulshoff, Roderick van der Ham and Ruben Peeters, plus former set-piece coach Aaron Briggs who left Liverpool last season.
That does leave Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s role to be filled, and speculation this week suggests Iraola could seek a former Liverpool player for the position.
Former midfielder Thiago is reportedly “keen” on being part of Iraola’s coaching setup, which could be an exciting addition, but the club has so far refuted this.
It remains to be seen if that will materialise, and James Milner’s retirement as a player this week has naturally seen him mentioned as an option, too.
Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of this news is that Iraola is only signing on for two years as Liverpool’s head coach. There is a reason for that, however, and in many ways, it sums up his modest personality.
Signing a short-term deal has been Iraola’s approach throughout his managerial career, with journalist Ben Jacobs saying that it is his “insistence” to do so, and BBC Radio Solent’s Jordan Clark has added more information about it.
“What we know about him is that he favours these short-term deals,” Clark said.
“So usually he likes a one-year contract, and I think it all comes from his time playing under Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Club towards the end of his career [2011-2013].
“There was an occasion when Bielsa was at Leeds, and he didn’t commit and was nearly out of contract before he decided everything was right and he wanted to stay for another year.”
It means Liverpool aren’t tied down to Iraola for a lengthy period, should things go awry, and it gives him the drive to prove that he is worthy of an extension.
Hiring any new head coach has its risks, and there are some who are concerned about whether Iraola’s high-octane approach can work across four competitions with the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp showed that it could be successful, however, and Liverpool’s new boss is a hugely exciting appointment who could bring entertainment and success back to Anfield.
Whatever happens, it promises to be fun, which cannot be said of the Reds’ final season under Slot.
