Andoni Iraola set to be named Liverpool manager after talks at AXA Training Centre

Andoni Iraola is on the verge of becoming Liverpool’s next manager after leaving the club’s AXA Training Centre on Thursday following productive talks with senior officials, with a formal announcement expected shortly.

The 43-year-old Spaniard verbally agreed to take the role on Tuesday before flying back to Merseyside for more detailed discussions. Nothing is now reported to be standing in the way of a quick appointment, with Iraola set to sign a two-year contract.

Iraola stepped down as Bournemouth manager at the end of the 2025/26 season and resisted approaches from Crystal Palace, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan before committing to Liverpool. Sporting director Richard Hughes, who worked with Iraola at Bournemouth, was central to the move, and it is understood that the decision to sack Arne Slot last Saturday was partly influenced by Iraola’s availability.

Slot was dismissed after a review of a disappointing campaign in which Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League and won no silverware. The call was made by Hughes and Fenway Sports Group chief Michael Edwards, with Slot said to have been blindsided by the decision.

“We have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward,” Liverpool’s statement read. “The conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him.”

Iraola arrives with considerable momentum behind him. He guided Bournemouth through an 18-game unbeaten run that lifted them to sixth in the Premier League and into the Europa League — an achievement made more notable by the number of key players the club sold during his tenure.

He is expected to bring a familiar backroom team with him, with Pablo de la Torre, Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper and Tom Webber all set to join his coaching staff at Anfield.

The new manager faces a significant rebuilding task. Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have all departed, and Iraola will be expected to restore an attacking identity that Salah himself publicly called for in May. “I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies,” Salah wrote on social media. “That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered.”

Iraola’s appointment would represent a swift resolution to Liverpool’s managerial search, with the club moving quickly to have their new head coach in place ahead of pre-season preparations.