With Xabi Alonso off the table, there could only be one man for the job when Arne Slot left Liverpool; Andoni Iraola.
The work he performed at Bournemouth was exemplary, although it was not without its fair share of challenges. In the opening weeks of the Spaniard's time on the south coast, he couldn't buy a win.
By the time he was leaving the Vitality, Iraola was a Cherries legend. They couldn't stop taking points from their opposition and they strolled comfortably into a European place for the first time in their history.
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A brilliant tactical manager, Iraola's talent ID is also first-class. Last season he had the likes of Marcos Senesi, Alex Scott, Antoine Semenyo and Eli Junior Kroupi to thank.
Kroupi has always been exciting but the new Liverpool boss has turned him into a genuine superstar at the age of just 19.
How Kroupi became a superstar under Iraola
Whatever the former Bournemouth boss touched, it turned to gold, there is no getting away from that.
Semenyo left for Manchester City in a mega £64m deal just six months after they had been gutted by some of Europe's biggest clubs. Dean Huijsen and Ilyia Zabarnyi were stolen away by Real Madrid and PSG respectively.
AFC Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen
AFC Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen
A year on, they look set to earn themselves a fortune in the market again. Senesi may well have left for free but the aforementioned Scott has an £80m asking price above his head. Liverpool are interested in him. Meanwhile, another Reds target in Kroupi could depart for as much as £100m.
Bournemouth understandably do not want to sell either of their prized assets but with Iraola now at the Anfield helm, surely they have a fabulous chance of prising the talented attacker away?
Best conversion rates - Premier League 25/26
Player
1) Will Osula
2) Noah Okafor
3) Danny Welbeck
4) Nick Woltemade
5) Eli Junior Kroupi
6) Viktor Gyokeres
The fact is that Kroupi and Iraola are a match made in heaven. Signed from Lorient in Ligue 2, the teenager has become one of the hottest commodities in Europe and has not looked back.
Played as a mixture of a striker and number 10 by the Spaniard last term, whatever the scenario, whatever the opposition, he simply thrived.
No teenager had ever scored 13 goals in their debut Premier League season until the young Frenchman came along. Plenty of those goals were not against sides at the wrong end of the table either.
The Bournemouth man scored twice against Arsenal, found the net versus Manchester United and even scored that goal against Manchester City that confirmed the title for the Gunners.
Calm and collected in front of goal, there are very few better young players in the world right now. That being said, a project signing could be on the way for Iraola.
How Liverpool can find Iraola's new Kroupi
One name stands out among many others in the Liverpool squad right now; Rio Ngumoha.
England-Rio-Ngumoha
2025/26 was a breakthrough campaign for the teenager who not only scored that remarkable late goal against Newcastle at St James' Park but also enjoyed a captivating England debut in their pre-tournament squad for the ongoing World Cup.
Ngumoha stands as good a chance as any player at Anfield right now to become the manager's new Kroupi, but what if the Reds were able to source that player externally?
Well, in the form of Andria Bartishvili, they may well find Iraola's next great project. Georgian publication Geo Team report this week that directors from both Arsenal and Liverpool jetted out to Estonia to watch the 17-year-old in action on Wednesday evening, as FC Flora played FC Iberia 1999 of his homeland in the first round of Champions League qualifying.
Bartishvili played 80 minutes of that clash but may not be playing for his side for too much longer. That's because the two aformentioned English clubs are ready to offer him an indentical contract to get him to join.
Now, we know what you're thinking. Who on earth is this teenage prodigy? Well, as one Georgian source exclusively told Football FanCast, he is "the best talent Georgia have produced since Khvicha Kvaratskhelia." That's fine praise indeed but it's easy to see why there are comparisons being made.
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As European football expert Bence Bocsak notes, the teen is a "very special talent" and that boils down to his attributes. The fact is that Bartishvili, much like Iraola's previous wonderkid in Kroupi, is a particularly lively and effervescent player in the final third.
The teenager's best quality is undoubtedly his dribbling ability. Much like the previously mentioned Kvaratskhelia, he's got this running style that just looks so easy on the eye. Rolled down socks and an immense low centre of gravity, he is a total joy to watch.
His close touch control for someone so young is extraordinarily good. The way he manipulates his body to evade opponents is simply top-drawer.
It is important to give context here. This is a young kid who has never played out of his homeland, a young kid who only produced five goal contributions last term.
Alas, look at the potential, look at the attributes. It's obvious to see why this talented wide forward could become Iraola's next Kroupi-like project.
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