Andoni Iraola to Liverpool: David Ornstein Reports Verbal Agreement Reached

Reports have broken this afternoon from the ever-reliable David Ornstein that Liverpool have reached an agreement with Andoni Iraola for the Spaniard to take over as head coach of the Merseyside club. It's being reported that Iraola has agreed to a two-year contract.

It's also being reported that Iraola wants to retain a majority of his former coaching staff, including lifelong Liverpool fan Tommy Elphick, who is still under contract at Bournemouth, as well as Pablo de la Torre, Shaun Cooper, and Tom Webber.

This follows this morning's reports from Fabrizio Romano that a deal was in place for the Spanish coach. Fabrizio Romano - who has broken stories on the Liverpool managerial situation consistently since May, was the first to report that a deal had been agreed, and was also the first to report that Slot would be removed from his position as head coach.

While a two-year contract seems short, it is worth noting that Iraola, in his three-year stay on the south coast, signed an initial two-year agreement in 2023, with an extension through a further 12 months carrying him into this summer, when he left the position.

Ben Jacobs went on to confirm further that the shorter contract was Iraola's request and is how the coach tends to operate at all the clubs he works for.

Former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot had initially signed a three-year deal, which was cut short this summer after a disappointing campaign, which left the Reds scraping on the final day for Champions League qualification and disappointing runs in all three cup competitions, including a quarterfinal exit to eventual Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain. 

READ MORE: Liverpool Under Andoni Iraola: A Return to High-Intensity Football

Andoni Iraola is an exciting prospect as a head coach. He has overperformed at Bournemouth consistently in his three-year spell there, including this season after losing a majority of his backline to bigger clubs.

It's worth noting here that this will be the Spaniard's highest-pressure job yet. While his coaching philosophy is loosely based around "gegenpressing", a style of play that the Anfield faithful will be familiar with, we have not seen Iraola's ability to maintain his play at the highest level.

While this high-tempo play has worked for Liverpool in the past, winning them a Premier League title and a Champions League under Jurgen Klopp, the playing field has changed dramatically since Klopp left the league only two seasons ago.

I do believe Andoni has what it takes, and the two-year contract is a fantastic safety net for both himself and a Liverpool recruitment team who may feel that they need to see what the Spaniard is made of before tying him down to a longer term contract in 2027. 

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