Andoni Iraola won’t be moving from one red and black club to another, as he has chosen not to join AC Milan from Bournemouth.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, his move from Bournemouth to Milan has fallen through. The Basque coach, who led the English club to the Europa League for the first time in their history, posted a farewell video on the team’s social media today.
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Despite this, he won’t be saying goodbye to the Premier League. Instead he will join Crystal Palace in a move that will likely be announced as early as tomorrow. The London side will bid farewell to manager Oliver Glasner in his final match as Eagles manager tonight in the Conference League final.
Why Crystal Palace?
Iraola has been pursued by other clubs in recent weeks such as Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, Benfica in Portugal, Palace and of course Milan.
In early 2000s football, no manager would have hesitated between Milan and the 15th-placed team in the Premier League, but the world has changed. Iraola sees Milan as a very complex venture, to be built from scratch with new management, new players in a new league for him.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, offers him the chance to continue working in the Premier League, not move his family from England and make some moves with an ambitious budget. To be sure of Iraola’s choice we must wait a bit, but it appears his doubts regarding the Rossoneri weren’t resolved.
Meanwhile, the current Palace boss Glasner has already made it clear he won’t continue at the club and could also be a candidate for the Milan job. Tomorrow, there will be more certainty.