Liverpool are said to have beaten three clubs to the appointment of Andoni Iraola, with Chelsea among those who held talks with the former Bournemouth boss.
Having announced his departure in April from Bournemouth after three years on the south coast, Iraola was a highly coveted man as the season came to a close.
Notably, Chelsea held talks with the Basque coach who made a good impression prior to their appointment of Xabi Alonso.
However The Athletic reports: “There were concerns about the radical departure his style of football would represent from the work of previous managers Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Friday, August 15, 2025: Bournemouth's manager Andoni Iraola during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 4-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Instead, the Londoners chose to appoint Alonso, who “was ruled out in March due to demands for greater control over football operations than Liverpool were prepared to grant,” according to journalist Chris Williams on X.
Iraola’s talks with Leverkusen, Palace and Milan
Before Liverpool hired Iraola, he had already spoken to numerous clubs aside from Chelsea.
According to The Athletic, discussions took place with Bayer Leverkusen, who have since appointed Carles Martinez Novell as head coach, but the “stronger interest” came from Crystal Palace and AC Milan.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola applauds the fans after the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth. Picture date: Saturday January 24, 2026.
The report explains: “Talks took place between Iraola’s camp and [Palace] over the make-up of the squad, playing style, and which areas needed strengthening in the transfer market.
“Yet no financial offer was made. Palace soon grew pessimistic about their chances and continued to meet other candidates.
“They were always conscious of the fact that Iraola was likely to receive offers from bigger clubs.”
Milan also wanted the 43-year-old after they sacked Max Allegri following his failure to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Iraola had a meeting “with a delegation from Milan near London during the final week of the Premier League season.”
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola before the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton. Picture date: Saturday January 31, 2026.
However, he held off and went on holiday to San Sebastian in his native region, only returning to sign his contract on Merseyside.
The new head coach was only in the country for a matter of hours, but supporters shouldn’t question his excitement to get started in the job.
With about a month until pre-season starts, Iraola was asked by LFCTV about his plans for the summer. He replied:
“Yes, everything has happened very quickly. Just finished the season [which] is when we really started thinking, ‘OK, what is going to be the next step?’
“And now that we know what’s happening, I want to get ready. Also, the World Cup being there, we will have a chance to work especially with some of the young players, because a lot of the senior players have been out and are arriving later with the World Cup.
“So I think it gives us the chance to know better the players from the academy, some of the players who have been on loan.
“They will be an important part of the first part of pre-season, the American tour, and I think in that way it works very well for us, because it will give us a lot of the information before we take really decisions, before we start the season.”
The new man is raring to go and we hope the forecast suddenly looks a little bit brighter over L4.