Iraola to leave Bournemouth at end of season with Premier League rivals on notice

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola's future has been a talking point for months. Pic: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire.

Andoni Iraola has informed Bournemouth he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. He is expected to consider his options this summer with several Premier League jobs potentially arising.

The 43-year-old’s departure could also open the door for the Basque to join his boyhood club Athletic Bilbao, but the former Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic is thought to be the frontrunner to succeed Ernesto Valverde.

Iraola’s future has been a talking point for months and he has kept his staff in the dark before deciding he will call time at Bournemouth after three seasons in charge. Bournemouth’s players were told of his planned exit after training on Tuesday afternoon.

Iraola has maintained regular dialogue with Bournemouth’s director of football, Tiago Pinto, and their technical director, Simon Francis, without committing his future across 15 months of negotiations.

Iraola, who joined Bournemouth in June 2023, said in a statement released by the club on Tuesday: “I feel this is the right moment for me to step away, but I will always carry fantastic memories of this club.” 

Bournemouth’s owner and chair, Bill Foley, said: “Andoni has been instrumental in shaping the direction of this club … he brought intensity, innovation, and a clear philosophy that elevated AFC Bournemouth both on and off the pitch. We are incredibly thankful for his leadership and will always have great memories of our time working together.”

Bournemouth, who beat Arsenal last weekend and are pushing for their best Premier League finish, had hoped to retain Iraola, believing there was scope to kick on under him again next season but slowly grew resigned to losing him as time dragged on. All parties recognised the need for clarity before the end of the season and Bournemouth are accelerating moves for Iraola’s successor. The former RB Leipzig and Dortmund head coach Marco Rose and Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna are understood to be of interest.

Iraola has established himself as one of the most highly regarded managers in the league and last season led Bournemouth to a record points tally and matched the ninth-placed finish achieved by Eddie Howe in 2016-17. Last summer Iraola helped Bournemouth seamlessly absorb the sales of key players Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez, Dango Ouattara and, midway through the season, Antoine Semenyo, for combined fees of more than £250m.

Iraola made 510 appearances for Athletic, who have been stepping up their search for Valverde’s successor in recent weeks. Iraola recently acknowledged he is a “supporter” of the La Liga club but has previously intimated he would prefer to keep his legacy there after 12 years there as a player.

Crystal Palace expressed their admiration for Iraola after Oliver Glasner confirmed he will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season in January, but Iraola is expected to attract the attention of bigger clubs.

Towards the end of the last campaign Iraola hinted in an interview with the Guardian that this season would be his last in the Bournemouth dugout. “Sometimes there is a moment after some seasons where you feel maybe the message does not go the same way to the players in the same way,” he said. “Normally managers like to feel these things and make decisions according to the moment.” 

Bournemouth’s next game is against Howe and Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday. Howe has never beaten his former club as Newcastle manager.

Guardian