Liverpool announced Andoni Iraola as their new coach, this Thursday (4), for the 2026/27 season. The Spaniard will be only the 23rd coach in the history of the English giant of more than 130 years.
Iraola arrives to replace . The Spaniard announced that he would leave Bournemouth before the end of the season, which ended with a .
but he waited to analyze all the possibilities and will now take a step forward coaching one of the biggest clubs in England.
“I’m very excited to be here and be the coach of Liverpool. I think you already know that the club is one of the biggest in the world, but I think there is always something more when we are talking about Liverpool. I think there is an identity behind it, many people who care a lot about the club and that is what motivates me”, declared Iraola.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC)
“It’s a great privilege, but also a great responsibility to be here in this position. I hope it’s at the same level and we can enjoy it together”, he concluded.
Liverpool have sacked Arne Slot after a disappointing season. The Dutchman was English champion in his debut year, but the current season went far from what was expected, especially given the huge investment made.
The English giant always draws attention due to the low number of coaches in its 133-year history. The Spaniard will only be Liverpool’s 23rd manager.
Who is Andoni Iraola?
The 43-year-old Spaniard made his professional debut at Athletic in 2003, aged 21, as a right-back. For the team, he played for more than a decade, with a total of 510 matches in 12 seasons.
The former athlete left the Spanish club in 2015 and was hired by New York City FC, where he ended his career in 2016.
Iraola began his career as a coach in 2018, at AEK Larnaca, the Cypriot team with which he won the Cyprus Super Cup title. In the 2019/20 season, the Spaniard returned to his home country and coached Mirandés.
Between 2020 and 2023, Andoni Iraola was at Rayo Vallecano. During his time there, the coach led the Madrid club to promotion to La Liga for the first time in history and beat teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The coach was hired by Bournemouth in June 2023. In the 2025/26 season, the English club finished the Premier League in 6th place and qualified for a European competition for the first time.
