Exclusive: Liverpool to announce Andoni Iraola after beating AC Milan

Arne Slot is out as Liverpool head coach. The Dutchman, 47, did not survive his end-of-season review.

It’s been a disappointing campaign for the defending Premier League champions. Having run away with the title in the 2024/25 season - Slot’s first campaign in charge - they slumped badly.

The Reds ended up in fifth place - only confirming their place in the Champions League places on the final day of the season.

Far from mounting a convincing title defence Slot oversaw a degradation of the team - despite a mammoth £450m transfer spend.

No team in English football history had ever spent so much across one window - with record-breaking deals concluded for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

But Slot could not get the best out of his new players - nor make them gel with those already on the books. Liverpool’s play was slow, predictable and - ultimately - unsuccessful.

Premier League results were ordinary - with 12 losses across the campaign - and they fared little better in the other competitions either.

Domestic cup humiliation came at the hands of Crystal Palace and Manchester City - while Paris Saint-Germain beat the club convincingly in the Champions League.

Liverpool reached out to Andoni Iraola in mid-May

It all added up to make Slot’s job unsustainable - with FSG pulling the plug on his project despite a contract until 2027.

Liverpool failed to win any of their league games in the month of May - losing to Manchester United and Aston Villa and enduring pitiful draws against Chelsea and Brentford.

The Villa game in particular was dreadful with Liverpool losing 4-2 in a surrender at Villa Park.

Anfield Watch can now reveal that Liverpool reached out to Andoni Iraola in the aftermath of the Aston Villa defeat on May 15.

Iraola, 43, had earlier announced that he would be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season. Appointed by then-Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes in 2023 the Spaniard has overseen remarkable progress on the south coast.

Despite having to sell his key players every year - including the likes of Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo last season alone - Iraola has always had the Cherries punching above their weight.

The ex-defender has qualified Bournemouth for European football for the first time in their history courtesy of a sixth-place Premier League finish.

AC Milan beaten to Iraola appointment by Liverpool

He has brought the best out of young stars like Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi - and plenty of teams around the Premier League and Europe now covet Bournemouth’s top players.

Last week it emerged that AC Milan had come up short in their efforts to convince Iraola to take over from the outgoing Max Allegri.

Anfield Watch can reveal that Liverpool have beaten the Rossoneri to the punch in the race to appoint Iraola.

The Serie A side had plenty of groundwork done to appoint the former Athletic Bilbao player - but Liverpool’s approach in mid-May now looks to have sealed the deal.

Hughes worked hard to convince his previous club owner - Bill Foley - of the merits in appointing Iraola. And that decision has more than paid off.

Iraola is one of the most lucrative free agent managers in the game - owing to his work at Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth - and once again Hughes looks to have got his man.

Liverpool’s decision to stay out of the race for Xabi Alonso now seems to have been vindicated as they edge closer to the official appointment of Iraola.

His aggressive, front-foot style of play will breathe new life into Liverpool - who had become pedestrian and easy to play against under Slot.

The new era starts now.

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