Where to next? No shortage of suitors for Andoni Iraola

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola during the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium. Pic: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire.

When Bournemouth confirmed that Andoni Iraola would leave the club at the end of the season it was obviously a huge blow for the Cherries, who have come on leaps and bounds under the Spaniard.

But for the Spaniard himself, the manager won’t be short of suitors this summer, and we’ve picked out five who may push to land the 43-year-old in the off-season.

Newcastle United

Newcastle are expected to lose key players this summer. Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali are tipped to lead a star-man exodus. 

Par for course as far as Iraola is concerned. 

Dominic Solanke, Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo all departed Bournemouth on his watch.

With Eddie Howe under pressure, the Magpies may cut ties with one former Bournemouth man and bring in another. Iraola would be a good fit for this hard-working Newcastle side. This stagnating Tyne outfit would receive the shot in the arm to boost their European hopes.

Conversely, Iraola may consider a move to St. James’ Park a sideways step in his managerial career rather than one forward. Newcastle, meanwhile, will want a manager committed to the cause. 

Iraola previously opted against a long-term Cherries deal, and may not be the one for Newcastle in their bid to potentially move on from Howe.

Verdict: Unlikely 

Real Madrid 

Real Madrid will need a new manager this summer. Alvaro Arbeloa has endured a testing spell at the Bernabeu helm since succeeding Xabi Alonso. Indeed, they were knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, were unceremoniously dumped out of the Copa Del Rey in January and are nine points behind rivals Barcelona.

Florentino Perez will want a name who can elevate Los Blancos to their previous glory. It’s for that reason that Iraola may be out of the running already. He doesn’t have the clout as, say, a Carlo Ancelotti, or a Jurgen Klopp, the latter another rumoured target for Real Madrid.

The style of play would appeal to the fans. Whether the players would be prepared to put in the hard yards, however, remains to be seen. Alonso lost the respect of the dressing room in January. A repeat with Iraola would be possible.

Verdict: Unlikely 

Athletic Bilbao

Iraola is an Athletic Club legend. He does, after all, rank sixth as the club’s all-time appearance holder having featured 510 times for the Basque powerhouse. 

Having joined the club in 1999 before departing for NYCFC in 2015, Iraola is still held in the highest regard in Bilbao.

And with head coach Ernesto Valverde stepping down from the San Mames helm at the end of the season, a chance to succeed the 62-year-old - a man that Iraola has previously referred to as his “biggest reference in football” - has presented itself. It’s a match made in heaven for both manager and club.

The downside? 

Well, there are few, if any. One would be he may tarnish his legacy should it all go pear-shaped. The pros, though, very much outweigh the cons. 

A grand return to Bilbao is the likeliest scenario for the former Athletic right-back.

Verdict: Likely 

Bayer Leverkusen

This season has been an indifferent one for one-time Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso’s exit last summer understandably set the club back. Erik ten Hag took over the reins in May before departing in September. Kasper Hjulmand has fared well at the BayArena, but the Dane may yet leave this summer.

A chance to take over one of Germany’s sleeping giants could prove a tempting proposition for Iraola. Bayer are a team that have shown a willingness to cash in on key players - see Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Jeremie Frimpong last year - which isn’t an alien concept to the Spanish manager.

Regardless, Bayer still have a hugely talented squad. 

The only issue would be whether they could convince Iraola to potentially turn down Athletic Club in favour of a switch to Germany. It’s an appointment that would certainly shake up the Bundesliga, that’s for sure.

Verdict: Unlikely

Chelsea

With Liam Rosenior’s tenure officially ended this week, attention has quickly turned to their next manager. The Blues have regressed since Enzo Maresca’s dismissal at the turn of the year. They’re now in danger of finishing in the bottom half. For a club of their stature, that’s simply unacceptable. 

Could Iraola be the next man in the Stamford Bridge dugout? For a start, he’d have an incredibly young squad to work with, and one that he’d be able to mould in his image. And given his standing in English football, they’d quickly buy into his ideas.

Conversely, Chelsea are such a basket case of a club. One minor blip, and the owners may pull the trigger on Iraola. He’s unlikely to want to work in such a setup. It would be fun, but a Stamford Bridge switch is probably a non-starter.

Verdict: Unlikely