Liverpool have appointed Andoni Iraola as their new manager on a two-year contract following the sacking of Arne Slot over the weekend.
Iraola, 43, had emerged as the clear favourite to succeed Slot after leaving his role at Premier League rivals Bournemouth at the end of the season.
The Basque guided the Cherries to a sixth-place finish – one place below Liverpool – that secured European football for the first time in the club's history.
“You don’t need a lot of things to get attracted by Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool," Iraola said in a statement.
“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."
Slot was sacked as Liverpool manager on Sunday just one year after winning the Premier League title.
Liverpool's title defence was a disappointing one. The Reds lost 19 matches across competitions in 2025/26 and finished 25 points behind champions Arsenal, although they did secure a place in next season's Uefa Champions League.
The pursuit of Iraola is in line with the club’s desire to move back towards a more aggressive, front-foot, urgent style of football which they lost during Slot’s second season and which ultimately cost him his job.
Iraola, a former Spain international who played for Athletic Bilbao between 2003 and 2015, has worked wonders at Bournemouth since his appointment in 2023, leading the south coast club to 12th, ninth and sixth-placed finishes in the league.
“I think Liverpool gives me the chance to coach top players, and top players give you the chance to fight for titles. To win titles,” Iraola told the club’s website. “It cannot be more attractive than this.
“Obviously when you arrive at a place, you cannot promise everything. You cannot promise. But it’s true that I understand where I’m coming and what is expected. I’m ready for the challenge.
“At the beginning when you arrive at any club, I think you need to kind of prove a little bit yourself. You need to earn the right also to belong.
“I want to do this as quickly as possible so I can also celebrate with them [fans] and I can be part properly of those celebrations."
It is believed Iraola wants to bring assistants Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, analyst Tom Webber and fitness coach Pablo de la Torre with him to the club, and Liverpool are currently exploring options regarding the make-up of the backroom team.
