Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published on Thursday, 04 June 2026, 21:55 / Updated on Thursday, 04 June 2026 22:01
Andoni Iraola is the new coach of Liverpool! Arne Slot's successor at the helm of the “cormorants” was presented by the English club.
In addition to the official release, the Spaniard also offered his first statements as coach of the “cormorants”. Andoni Iraola has signed a two-year contract with the Anfield team.
Andoni Iraola, officially presented at Liverpool: “We are extremely excited”
“For me football is about emotions, about this inner energy that you need as a player, a fan or a coach. In the beginning, when you arrive you have to earn the right to belong. I want to become one of you, so I can belong to the club, right? I understand that it is a privilege, but also a great responsibility. I understand what the expectations are and I am ready for the challenge,” Andoni Iraola said in the presentation video.
Later, the “cormorants” came out with a statement that included Andoni Iraola's other statements.
“We're extremely excited. We know what kind of club Liverpool is, it's a big club, one of the biggest in the world. I've always thought it's a special club. You don't need a lot to be attracted to Liverpool. Liverpool is Liverpool.
But obviously the atmosphere, the fans, the club, the players, the chance for me to coach top players, the chance to fight for titles. I think it can't get any more attractive than that. This chance is hard to come by. So I'm very excited to start”, Andoni Iraola said in the press release.
Liverpool FC can confirm that Andoni Iraola has signed a deal to become the club's new head coach ahead of the start of the 2026-2027 season.
The 43-year-old coach will take charge of the Anfield club, succeeding Arne Slot, who left the team on Saturday.
Iraola arrives after three impressive seasons in the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth, taking the team to Europe for the first time in their history and finishing sixth in the table.
Born in the Basque region of northern Spain, Iraola enjoyed a long playing career playing mainly as a right-back and has over 500 appearances for Athletic Club over 12 seasons.
He also played seven times for the Spanish national team before moving to New York City FC in the 2015-2016 season before hanging up his boots.
Iraola's first steps in coaching came in the summer of 2018 when he took over AEK Larnaca and helped them win the Cyprus Super Cup.
A spell at Spanish second division side Mirandes preceded a move to Rayo Vallecano in 2020, which he guided to promotion to La Liga in his first spell in charge
–the press release from Liverpool
