BREAKING: Andoni Iraola unveiled as Liverpool Head Coach

Published on 4 June 2026 at 19:32

By Steven Northover

A week (and a bit) is a long time in Football. Post Liverpool's 1-1 draw to Brentford, the mood music coming from Liverpool's board was that they were willing to give Arne Slot another season to turn aound the failures of this campaign.

Fast foward to today and Andoni Iraola has arrived on Merseyside to sign a two-year contract to become Liverpool's third manager in three years.

Liverpool have long been admirers of the former Bournemouth man, since his arrival on the South Coast, sounding him out as a replacement for Jürgen Klopp before moving on to Arne Slot. Meanwhile, having announced that he would leave Bournemouth during the season, Iraola had looked likely to join AC Milan before pulling out before formal discussions had started - stating that he preferred to manage either Bayer Leverkusen or Liverpool (who, at that point, still had Arne Slot in situ).

Whatever the circumstances of his change of heart, the Reds now have their man, and begins the work to return Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League again. Top of the list of priorities will be bringing in his own backroom staff, with lifelong Liverpool fan Tommy Elphick coming in as his assistant, Shaun Cooper as set piece coach, Pablo de la Torre as fitness coach, and Tom Webber joining as performance Analyst.

There are also rumours that Iraola will also bring in a former ‘club legend' to the coaching team, reportedly Thiago Alcântara, however this has yet to be confirmed or denied. As for the matter of the contract, fans needn't worry about the relative short contract length. Since the beginning of his career, Iraola has preferred to sign ‘short-term’ contracts when joining a club, allowing a level of flexibility for both himself and his employers.

Whatever happens, Liverpool are about to turn another page in their illustrious history, and will look to a 43-year-old from Ursubil, Spain to bring the glory back to an Anfield itching for a return of ‘Heavy Metal’ football.

Words from The New Boss

“Really excited, really excited... Because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it’s a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world.

“But feeling inside and understanding a little bit more of this club, I always thought it’s a special club.

“You don’t need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool."

“But obviously the atmosphere, the supporters, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top-level players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it cannot be more attractive than this. It’s difficult to find it. So, really excited to start.”