Andoni Iraola holding out for Liverpool amid Slot ‘uncertainty’ as he ‘doesn’t want’ Crystal Palace job | OneFootball

Andoni Iraola is holding out for a move to either Liverpool or Bayer Leverkusen as talks with AC Milan are ‘not really progressing’ and he ‘doesn’t want’ to move to Crystal Palace.

Iraola left Bournemouth after guiding the Cherries into the Europa League by finished sixth in the Premier League.

The Basque manager’s burgeoning reputation has seen him linked with a host of top jobs including Chelsea, but with Xabi Alonso taking the reins at Stamford Bridge he’s taking time to consider his options.

BBC Sport claim that Palace are ‘awaiting Iraola’s answer’ after making him a proposal that included ‘assurances that he will be permitted significant influence over the recruitment operation’.

Palace believe they have done everything they can to ‘convince Iraola that they can provide the platform for him to continue building his reputation’ and ‘all that’s left is Iraola’s approval’.

Reports in Italy have claimed that an ‘agreement’ has already been reached between Iraola and Palace after AC Milan – who are also keen after sacking Massimiliano Allegri for failing to qualify for the Champions League – were told that Iraola would prefer to remain in the Premier League and is attracted by the Palace ‘project’.

Sky Sports have now confirmed that ‘talks with AC Milan are not really progressing’ but also claim Iraola is ‘no more likely to join Crystal Palace’ on the basis of those stalled negotiations.

It’s claimed that Iraola ‘doesn’t want to leave sixth-placed Bournemouth for 15th-placed Palace’ even given the Eagles’ Conference League triumph on Wednesday which grants them entry into the Europa League next season.

Bayer Leverkusen – who are on the lookout for a new manager – and Liverpool are the clubs that Iraola ‘is interested in joining’, the report concludes.

Slot future still ‘uncertain’

Arne Slot has overseen a disastrous campaign at Anfield after guiding Liverpool to the title in his first season in charge, but reports have until now suggested that Reds’ dramatic slump won’t cost Slot his job as the club chiefs accept there is plenty of mitigation for the poor performances and results.

But a report from The Athletic detailing Liverpool’s turbulent season has revealed that doubts over his future remain as ‘there’s much for the hierarchy to ponder after such a torrid campaign’.

It’s claimed that the arrival of Etienne Reijnen is ‘expected’ to join Slot’s backroom staff from Feyenoord after he was denied a work permit to complete the move two years ago.

His arrival would ‘effectively confirm Slot is staying put’ but until that’s confirmed ‘a degree of uncertainty remains’ over the manager’s future at the club as it’s claimed several Liverpool stars weren’t pleased with their specific roles last season.

Dominik Szoboszlai ‘wasn’t happy about having to fill in at right-back’, Curtis Jones ‘was frustrated that he didn’t get the extended run of games in midfield that he craved’ and Alexis Mac Allister ‘felt that he had been unfairly singled out for criticism’.

A wider group of Reds players were ‘angered’ by suggestions on social media that they had ‘too much time off and didn’t train enough’ when the schedule was the same as it was the season before when they won the title. They believed, like Slot, that the issue wasn’t their match fitness but the injuries which forced available players to play more regularly.

“You had all these tricky individual situations with the collective issues on top,” a dressing-room source told The Athletic. “There was so much negativity, so much adversity and it’s been too much for a lot of players. How many times did we get back into games and then throw it away?  It’s been blow after blow.”

“It’s been draining from start to finish,” another senior club source added. “There’s just relief for all involved that it’s over.”