The Iraola era is at Liverpool's doorstep

Liverpool is preparing to appoint Andoni Iraola as the new head coach, with the Spanish manager heading to Anfield with two assistant coaches...

Scraper SystemJune 02, 2026, 07:12 PM

The Iraola era is at Liverpool's doorstep

A new head coach era is about to begin at Liverpool. It was reported that the club is close to appointing Andoni Iraola, who manages Bournemouth, as the team's head following Arne Slot's dismissal last week. The Spanish coach is expected to bring two members of his technical staff to Anfield before the 2026/27 season. The first of these is former professional footballer Tommy Elphick. It was noted that Elphick played for Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, and other clubs, and shortly after retiring from football, he started coaching in Bournemouth's development team. Later, in the 2022/23 season, he was promoted to the first team structure and was part of the technical staff during Gary O’Neil's tenure. The report stated that Elphick declined a head coach offer from Bristol City last week and chose to continue his role at Bournemouth alongside Iraola. This decision was said to have paved the way for his role at Liverpool. The second person expected to go to Anfield with Iraola is Shaun Cooper. The 42-year-old Cooper is also a former professional footballer who spent a significant part of his career at Bournemouth and was promoted to the first team structure alongside Elphick in the 2022/23 season. It was also recalled that Cooper and Elphick's coaching paths intersected again in a process directly linked to Scott Parker's departure years ago. It was emphasized that Parker's departure from Bournemouth was influenced by the heavy 9-0 defeat at Anfield. Bournemouth has also achieved notable results against Arsenal this season, winning 2-1 away in early March and delivering a 2-0 home victory in the 2023/24 season, dealing a blow to Arsenal's title race. In that match, Bournemouth's set-piece organization stood out, and Ryan Christie highly praised Shaun Cooper in this regard. Cooper's contribution to the preparation of that goal was highlighted. On Liverpool's side, the expectation is that the club will not only bring in a coach known for "high-tempo" play but also add two strong assistant coaches to its staff. The new era at Anfield is expected to be formalized shortly.