Andoni Iraola is heavily linked as the next manager of Liverpool after the bombshell news that Arne Slot has been sacked by FSG effective immediately.
On Saturday, Liverpool announced that Slot had been sacked, thanking him for winning the Premier League last season while stating that the time has come for the club to head in a new direction after the shortcomings of the 2025-26 season.
The natural question on the lips of supporters is: Who will manage Liverpool next?
Even before the news broke that Liverpool and Slot have parted ways, it had been heavily reported that Bournemouth’s charismatic manager Iraola wanted the job and was under consideration to replace Slot.
TEAMtalk reported on the 20th of May that despite Slot’s future was “not as secure as the club’s public messaging has suggested.”
The latest Andoni Iraola to Liverpool news amid breaking Slot announcement
Fabrizio Romano was the first to break the news that Liverpool had sacked Slot, and in a follow-up report on X, he shared the news that Iraola is set to become the next manager.
He reports: “Andoni Iraola, set to become the next Liverpool manager as revealed earlier today!
“The negotiations will move forward quickly to get it done with formal steps butLFC decision made…
“Iraola will be the next manager.”
?? Andoni Iraola, set to become the next Liverpool manager as revealed earlier today!
The negotiations will move forward quickly to get it done with formal steps but #LFC decision made…
…Iraola will be the next manager. ?? pic.twitter.com/r4K1xRnxDP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2026
This matches what Ben Jacobs has reported in that Liverpool plan to return to a “more front-foot, aggressive and urgent style of football.”
Iraola: Inexperienced at the elite level, but he matches Liverpool very well
Unlike Klopp when he joined Liverpool, Iraola does not have extensive experience of managing a team to league titles or into the latter stages of the Champions League.
That said, he appears to be a very similar manager to Klopp in terms of how demanding he is, the all-out intense pressing and attacking football that brought a period of sustained success to Anfield after too long.
Liverpool are by no means to guaranteed under Iraola, or another manager, but it’s a step in the right direction after months and months of regression under Slot. That said, the Dutchman should be appreciated for the league title he delivered in his first season.