Andoni Iraola's appointment at Liverpool has many fans hoping to see a return to the type of football Jurgen Klopp embedded at Anfield during his nine-year reign.
Arne Slot's more controlled style of play ended up being unsuccessful in his second campaign at the club, and ultimately led to his sacking. Iraola has impressed at Bournemouth, taking them from relegation favourites to European football in just three years.
While he has an incredibly difficult task getting anywhere near Klopp's legacy on Merseyside, he may even excel more than the popular German in some areas. According to one man who has played under both managers, at least.
Andoni Iraola Elevated Former Liverpool Star
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola watching on from the touchline
England international Dominic Solanke spent two years under Klopp at Liverpool after joining from Chelsea in 2017. The striker was expected to go on to big things, but only managed 27 appearances for the Reds, playing second fiddle to Roberto Firmino.
He was still young when Bournemouth came knocking in 2019, signing him for £19 million. While that was still four years before Iraola would even appear at the Vitality Stadium, the Spanish coach took him to a new level.
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Doubts have emerged once again over Arne Slot's position at Liverpool manager heading into the summer.
Solanke had two very good goalscoring seasons in the Championship following the Cherries' relegation. However, there was still a question mark over whether he could translate that to the top-flight. His first season back in the Premier League saw the Englishman only net six times.
Iraola then joined the next summer (2023) and immediately turned Solanke into a prolific goalscorer. He found the net 19 times in the league in the Spaniard's first term and earned a £65 million move to Tottenham.
Dominic Solanke Raved About Iraola at Bournemouth
Dominic Solanke and Andoni Iraola
In a December 2023 interview with The Times, Solanke credited Iraola's style of play for his upturn in form. He did admit the players struggled to take his approach on board at first, saying: "We couldn’t take in all the information at first."
He explained how it took time to adjust, before everything became second-nature: "For me, I’m pressing with a No.10 behind me and, at first, our timing was off. We didn’t know when to press or to drop, but now it’s second nature as the manager has gone through it many times and it’s embedded in our heads and we are all on the same wavelength. It’s natural now."
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The five-cap England international spoke glowingly about his old boss' man-management: "Iraola’s really good with the players. We all get on really well with him. He’s easy to talk to. He’s very detailed in his tactics so we have a lot of meetings. He’s always willing to speak separately to make sure everyone’s on board."
The part that will now excite Liverpool fans the most is how Solanke credited Iraola's high-pressing tactics as a big factor in his success at Bournemouth. The forward explained:
"Part of my success is because the manager loves pressing high. I’m high up the pitch, in the centre of the goal much of the time, and not having to drop back too much and am finding myself in good positions, more than last season probably.
"The manager’s style definitely suits me."
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 05-06-26.