Liverpool eye Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola as Arne Slot replacement
Liverpool have targeted current Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola as one of their leading candidates to replace Arne Slot - who was sacked on May 30.
Former Bournemouth sporting director Richard Hughes is leading the charge to secure Iraola’s appointment, having previously hired the Spaniard to be the Cherries boss back in 2023.
Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher sees the value in Iraola as a manager, but is uncertain as to whether he can deliver top honours at the highest level.
A ‘fantastic’ manager with ‘huge question marks’
"He's done a brilliant job in the Premier League, what Bournemouth have done is absolutely fantastic, but there are still huge question marks,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
"The way he plays is definitely the way Liverpool want to go back to: high-intensity football.
“We know he's fantastic at that, but it's not just all about that when you're the Liverpool manager.
"Off the ball was a big problem for Arne Slot, that was the thing that really worried me, and I said all season that Liverpool off the ball were so poor.
Defensive work-rate part of the Liverpool fabric
"That's a big part of Liverpool's DNA, not just under Jurgen Klopp,” Carragher continued.
“The reason we talk about the Anfield factor, a lot of it is off the ball, not just on it, so he's fantastic at that.
"My worry is, can you play at that intensity when you're playing every three days, and that was only getting played once a week with Bournemouth. That is completely different.
"Whenever you're bringing a manager in for a top club in England, you're thinking, 'Can he win me the league?'.
“That's a big question mark around him, or any manager coming in, but Liverpool had a manager who's won the league, so that's why I was always torn."
Iraola’s stellar work as Bournemouth boss
Iraola enjoyed noteworthy success at Bournemouth, finishing sixth in the Premier League and only three points behind the Reds.
His impact on the club will see the Cherries challenge some big names in world football in the Europa League next season.
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