Andoni Iraola verbally agrees to become Liverpool's next head coach after Slot sacking

Andoni Iraola has verbally agreed to become Liverpool’s next head coach, with the club closing in on a swift appointment following the sacking of Arne Slot last Saturday.

Liverpool opened talks with the Basque coach on Tuesday morning and made rapid progress, with Iraola willing to accept the role. Sporting director Richard Hughes, who first brought Iraola to Bournemouth three years ago, is leading the search for Slot’s successor and a formal announcement is expected within days.

Hughes identified Iraola as his primary target on the basis that the Spaniard can deliver the fast, aggressive football Liverpool are seeking — a style Slot’s side consistently failed to produce during a disappointing 2024-25 season. Liverpool, who were champions in 2025, slipped to fifth place with just 60 points, prompting the club to move on from Slot six days after the campaign ended.

Iraola left Bournemouth this April having taken the south-coast club to the highest league finish in their history — sixth place in the Premier League — after previous finishes of 12th and ninth. Before Bournemouth, he managed Rayo Vallecano in Spain.

While Liverpool also considered Lens head coach Pierre Sage and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, Iraola quickly emerged as the clear frontrunner. He had also attracted interest from Crystal Palace, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan before Liverpool moved decisively.

Iraola is expected to look to bring members of his Bournemouth backroom staff to Anfield. Slot’s coaching team — Sipke Hulshoff, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ruben Peeters — are all anticipated to depart the club.