Liverpool appoint Andoni Iraola as their new head coach

Liverpool officially announced Andoni Iraola as their new head coach yesterday, following the Spaniard's departure from AFC Bournemouth at the end of the Premier League season.

Arne Slot was sacked last week, and the Reds began their search for his replacement straight away. Iraola, aged 43, was top of their target list, and the Merseyside club got their man.

The Spaniard ended the Premier League season unbeaten in his last 18 games with AFC Bournemouth and secured the Cherries their first-ever campaign in European football. Bournemouth finished sixth in the league, just three points away from the UEFA Champions League spots.

Since December '25, the Cherries have lost just three Premier League games, with their defeats coming against Everton, Brentford and Arsenal. The side had numerous stars, such as Rayan, Marcos Senesi, Eli Kroupi and Alex Scott, just to name four.

Antoine Semenyo departed the Vitality Stadium in January, in what was a big blow for the side, but they were able to recover from his departure and push on for their best-ever Premier League finish.

Now, Andoni Iraola will be another member of the club leaving this year, with his departure confirmed at the end of the season. He will be swapping the South Coast for the North West, in what will be his biggest season in management yet.

With the likes of Mo Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté all leaving, Iraola will be looking to replace key personnel in the squad to get the Reds as close as possible to winning the league title.

The Reds finished fifth in the table for the 25/26 season in an underwhelming campaign for the side, considering the huge transfer fees spent last summer. Now, Iraola has a huge task on his hands to end the disappointment and get the club back to winning trophies.

The last time Iraola managed a game that included Liverpool, his Bournemouth side were 3-2 winners, thanks to Amine Adli scoring a 95th-minute winner against Arne Slot's team.

Their first meeting of the season came in the first game of the Premier League season, as Liverpool were 4-2 winners on the opening night at Anfield. The Reds left it late to win, scoring in the 88th and 94th minute.

Since joining the Premier League, Andoni Iraola has managed 114 games, winning 41 of those clashes. 38 games were draws, and 35 were losses. This season, however, the Spaniard's Bournemouth side lost just seven of their 38 league games, highlighting how hard they were to beat and how strong they were at picking up results.

Liverpool will be hoping Iraola can bring his style of play and his ability to avoid losing games to Anfield, helping push the Reds closer to first in the league.

The 43-year-old has penned a two-year deal, but he will no doubt be thinking past those two years and how to return Liverpool to the very top of European football.