Romano reveals shock Iraola contract length at Liverpool as FSG had ‘second thoughts’ on Slot sack | OneFootball

Andoni Iraola will sign a two-year deal at Liverpool after the Spaniard made a request to the Reds, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Liverpool sacked Arne Slot late last month after the Dutchman had a disappointing second season in charge at Anfield, with the Reds finishing fifth in the Premier League.

The Reds scraped a place in next season’s Champions League but it has been a big drop off from winning the Premier League last term.

It quickly became clear that Iraola was Liverpool’s top target as they looked to appoint a successor to Slot, and now widespread reports insist the Bournemouth head coach and the Reds have come to an agreement.

Romano has revealed that Iraola is set to sign a two-year deal at Liverpool as that is what he ‘always did’ at Bournemouth, who he is leaving at the conclusion of his contract at the end of June.

The transfer expert wrote on X: ‘Andoni Iraola to sign a two year deal until June 2028 at Liverpool, already involved in transfer plans and strategy. Iraola asked for a two year deal as he always did at Bournemouth.’

On Iraola, a leading sporting director for a top European side told Anfield Watch: “On the three-four year horizon, he’s probably the best out there. But it’ll depend on how the squad take to him because he’s more of a Rafa [Benitez] type.

“He’s a tactical obsessed genius, he doesn’t upset anyone but doesn’t build huge rapport with individuals. He wants to improve them but he expects them to want to improve. But [Tommy] Elphick is quite good at the man-management side though, so he might be the buffer this Liverpool group need.”

Liverpool had ‘second thoughts internally’ about sacking Slot

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness has revealed that Liverpool had “second thoughts” about sacking Slot during an upturn in form.

Wyness told Football Insider: “Living on Merseyside, I’m very much in tune with a lot of what goes on in both clubs. There were peaks and troughs in the season for Slot, and I actually thought the ending would have come earlier than it did.

“The team seemed to have a little bit of a spike in form, and it gave people second thoughts internally. My impression is that there’s been some dithering, and it hasn’t been a very clean situation.

“The timing surprised me in the sense that it didn’t happen sooner. Although I think they would say they wanted to do it at the end of the season, and have an end-of-season review. To me, that’s not really how it works.

“I think they’d have lost faith in him earlier. We’re now here with Liverpool without a manager, and it’s a chance for them to move forward.”