Key appointment made for "tactical obsessed genius" Andoni Iraola

Andoni Iraola is going to be the next Liverpool manager.

It is a matter of when and not if the Spanish tactician is confirmed as Arne Slot’s successor. The 43-year-old caught the eye with Rayo Vallecano before he was recruited by Richard Hughes to replace Gary O’Neil as the Bournemouth manager. While on the South Coast, his style of play earned rave reviews as he guided the club to a sixth place finish during the 2025/26 campaign.

In a league now dominated by set pieces, Iraola looks to play football. His Bournemouth team, despite losing a raft of players during the 2025 summer transfer window as well as top scorer Antoine Semenyo in January, defied the odds, playing an aggressive, progressive, attacking style. They finished the campaign on a 17 match unbeaten run, beating Liverpool and Arsenal while drawing with Manchester United and Manchester City along the way.

His high energy style has seen him likened to Marcelo Bielsa and Jurgen Klopp. In an interview with Jonathan Northcroft, Iraola cited Ernesto Valverde as his inspiration, saying: “His [Valverde] style is the club’s style. Athletic Club is the most English team in LaLiga. We like to attack fast, use the width of the pitch, overlaps and a lot of crosses, high press. And that is how I have learned to play.”

Regardless of who he styles his tactics on, he plays the football fans want to see at Anfield. A style reminiscent of Klopp. However, he doesn’t possess the same charisma as the German. That is the belief of a leading Sporting Director for a top European team who spoke exclusively to Anfield Watch.

“On the three-four year horizon, he’s probably the best out there. But it’ll depend on how the squad take to him because he’s more of a Rafa [Benitez] type.

“He’s a tactical obsessed genius, he doesn’t upset anyone but doesn’t build huge rapport with individuals. He wants to improve them but he expects them to want to improve. But [Tommy] Elphick is quite good at the man-management side though, so he might be the buffer this Liverpool group need.”

Elphick, a boyhood red, is believed to be following Iraola to Anfield and his appointment could be just as pivotal.

For a detailed breakdown of Iraola, the head coach, subscribe to the Anfield Watch Substack for an upcoming exclusive on the Spanish tactician.