Andoni Iraola has revealed that he spoke with other clubs before accepting the job as Liverpool head coach seven weeks ago.
The 44-year-old – who announced in mid-April that he’d leave Bournemouth at the end of last season –was appointed at Anfield just five days after the sacking of Arne Slot, and 11 days after his final game with the Cherries.
The Basque is set to oversee his first match in the job when we face Sunderland in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, with his first official fixture coming against their arch-rivals Newcastle in the Premier League a month from today.
Iraola is currently with the Liverpool squad in Chicago for the start of their pre-season tour to the United States, and reflecting on him being appointed as the Reds’ head coach, he outlined that he’d spoken to a few clubs before the Merseysiders pounced to secure a quick agreement.
He said (via BBC Sport): “It happened quite fast. Yes, it was true that I was talking with some clubs. I think it was the first or second week after the season ended. Liverpool contacted me, and it didn’t take a lot [to say yes].”
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LFC stuck with Slot until after last season had finished, when many other clubs may have pulled the trigger earlier given how sharply the Reds’ fortunes plummeted, but they were very quick to move on from the Dutchman and get Iraola through the door at the start of the summer.
The new boss has duly had time to get his feet under the table at Anfield and work with the hierarchy on prospective incomings, albeit that those have been thin on the ground thus far – Victor Munoz is the only senior player to have been signed since the 44-year-old’s appointment.
Although Iraola has never managed a club of Liverpool’s stature before and will venture into the unknown in the Champions League, he already knows the Premier League well from his three seasons at Bournemouth, who he guided to a highest-ever finish of sixth last term (and qualification for Europe).
With the Basque admitting that he’d spoken with other clubs before the Reds came calling, LFC duly did well to swoop in and secure his services quite quickly, ensuring that they got the man they wanted rather than having to scramble for an alternative and lose vital weeks of the summer.
Pre-season will give us the first hints of what we can expect under the new boss, who hopefully can have a first 12 months in the job to mirror that of Premier League-winning tactician Slot in 2024/25.
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