Tommy Elphick was understood to be the front runner to be Bristol City's next manager before Michael Skubala was appointed
17:01, 02 Jun 2026
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Andoni Iraola and Tommy Elphick during a Bournemouth game at the Vitality Stadium(Image: Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
Bournemouth assistant Tommy Elphick is reportedly "set to join" Andoni Iraola at Liverpool when he succeeds Arne Slot, having recently been in the running to become Bristol City's next manager.
According to a report from talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs, Elphick will be one of two members of Bournemouth staff that Iraola brings with him to Merseyside, with the Spaniard expected to take charge at Anfield after departing the Vitality Stadium at the end of the Premier League season.
Liverpool are looking for a new boss after taking the decision to part ways with Slot last weekend. The Reds confirmed the Dutchman's departure on Saturday morning, a little over a year after he guided the club to only their second-ever Premier League title.
Iraola appears to be the man set to replace him, with a deal said to be being finalised, and he will reportedly be joined by both Elphick and fellow Cherries coach Shaun Cooper.
Club-to-club talks are said to be required, however, for Liverpool to secure the pair's services, with the south coast side previously believed to be keen to keep both assistants as part of new boss Marco Rose's staff.
The news around a potential move to the Premier League giants comes a week or so after Elphick was heavily linked with the head coach's position at Ashton Gate.
Bristol Live understood that the former defender was, at one stage, the front runner to replace Roy Hodgson in the BS3 dugout, but he reportedly declined the opportunity to take charge of the Robins.
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Fortunately, the Reds seemingly moved quickly to secure a permanent boss, with it confirmed late last week that Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala had put pen to paper on a three-year contract in the West Country, just weeks after guiding the Imps to the Championship as League One champions.
The 43-year-old, who holds the title of manager rather than head coach, will officially start work on Tuesday, June 9 - a week today, with the City squad set to return to the High Performance Centre for pre-season in early July, after the start of the summer transfer window and EFL fixture release day.
Skubala's role at Ashton Gate is just his second in senior management. Prior to his time in charge of the Imps, the Reds' new manager spent time as an academy coach at both Nottingham Forest and Coventry City, before becoming director of football at Loughborough University.
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Spells with both the England national futsal team and England Under-18s followed before Skubala became Under-21s head coach at Leeds United. His time in such a position was intercut by a brief stint as caretaker boss of the Whites' first team, before he made the move to LNER Stadium in 2023.
As Imps head coach, the 43-year-old has been able to consistently help Lincoln punch above their weight. That was never more true than it was this term, when Skubala's side were able to claim 103 points - 12 more than second-placed Cardiff City - on their way to the third tier title.
Naturally, as a result of his success, Lincoln were eager to keep their head coach in post as they prepared for their first season in the Championship for 65 years.
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For a time, particularly when Elphick was linked with City, that had seemed a possibility, but now, Skubala's next appearance in front of the Imps' faithful will likely come as an opposition manager later this year.
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