Andoni Iraola has hinted at why he declined interest from Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen to become the new Liverpool manager. Iraola was in high demand after leaving Bournemouth and has now been confirmed as Arne Slot’s successor at Anfield.
The Spaniard has signed a two-year contract with the Reds just five days after Slot was sacked by the club. He has earned the job through three impressive years at Bournemouth, who he led to a sixth-place finish and a place in the Europa League.
Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League and were disappointing in the cup competitions, spelling the end of Slot’s two-season stint in charge. The Dutchman lost 19 games across his second season with the team a shadow of the side which won the Premier League in 2024/25.
Iraola will be tasked with a rebuild this summer, with Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all leaving. He has a strong reputation for developing young players and will be expected to bring back a more attractive playing style.
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The 43-year-old announced in April that he would leave Bournemouth at the end of the season, sparking lots of interest. Manchester United were credited with interest before opting to hand a full-time deal to Michael Carrick, but Palace and Leverkusen did contact him.
Palace needed to find a successor to Oliver Glasner, while Leverkusen were toying with the idea of bringing Iraola in to replace Kasper Hjulmand. But when Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes contacted Iraola, he blew the other two clubs out of the water.
“Really excited, really excited,” Iraola told Liverpoolfc.com. “Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world.
View 2 ImagesAndoni Iraola has signed a two-year deal at Liverpool(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“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.”
Hughes appointed Iraola at Bournemouth three years ago before joining Liverpool and was keen for a reunion at Anfield. It was Liverpool’s sporting director, along with Fenway Sports Group chief Michael Edwards, who took the decision to sack Slot and go for Iraola.
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