The former Bournemouth defender is finally finding his feet at Liverpool, and Andoni Iraola claims he can now see similarities with the player who left the Cherries last summer
12:43, 24 Jan 2026
Andoni Iraola and Milos Kerkez
Andoni Iraola admitted Bournemouth is missing Milos Kerkez(Image: Getty Images)
Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has admitted that the Cherries are missing Milos Kerkez, but added he is pleased to see an improvement in the defender’s recent performances for Liverpool.
The left-back joined the Reds last summer for a fee of £40 million ($54M) and is finally starting to justify that lavish fee. Kerkez endured a tough start to his Liverpool career, with a number of high-profile errors, while Liverpool’s backline looked significantly weaker with the Hungarian in the team.
Kerkez even lost his place in the side in November, but forced his way back into Arne Slot’s plans. In recent weeks, Kerkez has been excellent and has earned repeated praise from Slot, including ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
READ MORE: Bournemouth could have 8 players missing vs Liverpool as injuries mount for Andoni IraolaREAD MORE: How to watch Bournemouth vs Liverpool in US and UK - TV channel, live stream, team news
Iraola agrees with his Liverpool counterpart and feels he is starting to see Kerkez play with the same level of belief he witnessed on a weekly basis last season.
“I think he has been growing a lot,” said the Spaniard. “Last games, I think he has been phenomenal.
“The other day [against Marseille], I saw him with confidence, pushing forward, very good defensively and sometimes when you sign for one of these big clubs, you need this period of adaptation.
“I think the more time he plays, the more games he starts, the better Milos we will see like we are seeing in the last games.
Kerkez has improved significantly in recent weeks
Kerkez has improved significantly in recent weeks(Image: Soccrates Images, Getty Images)
“I think now he's with the same confidence probably that he was here with us. And I'm sure he will be a very good signing for Liverpool and he's also a great guy, full of energy.
“We miss him a lot. Not just in the footballing side, just personally, he gives a lot of energy to the dressing room and I'm sure he will be very good for Liverpool.”
Kerkez wrote this week on social media that the “critics give me even more fuel” and he is one of several summer signings who is finding his feet after a tough run of results over the autumn period.
“I have a lot of respect for these players,” said Slot on Friday. “For Milos, for example, he had to adjust to the Premier League and to add the Champions League to that. If you lose more games than everyone would have expected us to lose, criticism comes with that.
Article continues below
“And then you have to stay fit. You also have to adapt to new standards. I'm not sure if there has been research, but usually when a team doesn't do so well, there are a lot of injuries.
“We don't have a lot of injuries. I talk about that, I have to adapt, but that is not because I have a lot. We only have three long-term injuries, but the rest are almost constantly fit [touch wood]. They have had a period where things have gone against them individually and collectively.
“It tells me a lot about the work they put in, the quality of the coaching staff, but also the mentality of the players and Milos is a great example of that.”