Liverpool open Andoni Iraola talks

By Carl Markham, Press Association

Liverpool have opened talks with Andoni Iraola about becoming their new head coach.

Bournemouth’s former boss was quickly identified as the primary target following the surprise sacking of head coach Arne Slot on Saturday.

The Press Association understands sporting director Richard Hughes, who already has a relationship with the Basque having appointed him three years ago when he was working in a similar role with the Cherries, has made contact and is leading the talks.

Liverpool are keen to make a swift appointment, ideally before the start of the World Cup next week, to allow pre-season preparations to be adjusted accordingly but they insist they will follow a proper process in order to make the right appointment.

At this point, there have been no approaches to any individuals to join the coaching staff – it was reported Iraola would want to bring Cherries assistant manager Tommy Elphick with him.

The pursuit of Iraola is in line with the club’s desire to move back towards a more aggressive, front-foot, urgent style of football which they lost during Slot’s second season and which ultimately cost him his job.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher feels the 43-year-old still has plenty to prove.

“It looks like it’s going to be Andoni Iraola, who is – I think we’d all say – fantastic for what he’s done at Bournemouth,” he told The Overlap Fan Debate.

“But if you’d have said to me a few weeks ago, ‘Would you sack Arne Slot and bring in Iraola?’ I’d be a little bit like ‘I’m not sure’.

“When they (big six clubs) make an appointment, I look at it and think ‘Can I see this man winning the league for this club?’.

“We had a manager who won the league. The performances last season were so poor, I get it, I understand (why Slot was sacked).

“But a manager from Bournemouth who has never had much European experience managing a Champions League season, three games a week – that’s a risk.

“I thought the next step for him (would be to) prove he can still produce the goods in a European season and then he’d be ready for his next move.

“It almost feels like it’s a year too early.”

Carragher’s personal choice was former team-mate Xabi Alonso, who last month joined Chelsea but was reportedly never high on the list of candidates for Liverpool.

However, Carragher felt the Spaniard’s vast experience made him more suited as he could have wielded more power as a manager rather than fitting into the head coach set-up.

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“Iraola’s done a brilliant job, but it’s a big jump from Bournemouth to Liverpool,” he added.

“With Alonso, you’ve got the playing career, the CV, the managers he’s been managed by, what he did at (Bayer) Leverkusen – winning the league, getting to a European final, playing unbeaten football.

“He’s managed Real Madrid. I know it didn’t go well, but he’s managed at that level. That scrutiny, that pressure.

“If they chose Iraola above Alonso because of some structural preference – that, for me, is very worrying for Liverpool going forward.”