Just in: Liverpool have formally opened talks with Andoni Iraola over head coach vacancy | OneFootball

It has been reported by top-tier sources that Liverpool have ‘formally opened talks’ with Andoni Iraola over the head coach vacancy at Anfield.

The former Bournemouth boss is the favourite to succeed Arne Slot in the dugout on Merseyside after the Dutchman’s sacking last weekend, and LFC chiefs are reportedly hoping to have the prospective appointment finalised before the start of the World Cup on 11 June.

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Liverpool begin formal talks with Iraola

Shortly after 10am on Tuesday morning, James Pearce reported for The Athletic that Liverpool have opened formal discussions with the 43-year-old about becoming the Reds’ new head coach.

The talks are being led by sporting director Richard Hughes, who held a similar job title at Bournemouth when the south coast club appointed Iraola three years ago. The Spaniard is ‘believed to be keen to take on the challenge at Anfield’, and there’s now a ‘growing expectation that his appointment will follow’.

It’s also claimed that Liverpool chiefs have full belief that his coaching methords align with the ‘front foot, aggressive and urgent style of football’ that they want to see from the Reds.

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Hopefully Iraola appointment will be finalised in the next few days

It’s been an open secret in recent days that LFC are keen to appoint Iraola as Slot’s successor, but this update from a hugely trusted source in Pearce (also corroborated by the reliable Lewis Steele for the Daily Mail) adds to the belief that the 43-year-old will be our next head coach.

There definitely appears to be a mutual eagerness from both sides for the appointment to happen, and with formal negotiations now underway, hopefully the finer contractual points can soon be finalised and it won’t be long before the Spaniard is officially hired.

The evidence of the 2025/26 season would indicate that Iraola would reinject much of the high-pressing intensity which was all too lacking for the Reds in that campaign, and many people who’ve worked with him firsthand have given glowing testimonies about his dedication to the job.

Expectations at Anfield will naturally be much higher than anything he’s had at Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano, but Liverpool wouldn’t be seeking to hire him if they weren’t fully confident that he could take them back to the summit of English football.

With formal talks now in progress, fingers crossed that the appointment is confirmed in the next few days and that the 43-year-old is in place by the start of the transfer window in two weeks’ time.