Liverpool have appointed former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as head coach on a reported two-year deal, after dismissing Arne Slot. Slot delivered the 2024-25 Premier League title, yet Liverpool’s form collapsed the following season, forcing the club to act before the 2026-27 campaign.

The change comes after a dramatic drop in domestic performance. Liverpool finished fifth in 2025-26, just three points ahead of Iraola’s Bournemouth, and needed the final day to secure Champions League football. Their 60-point tally was the lowest for any team placing fifth or higher since Tottenham matched that figure in 2006-07.

The 24-point swing between Liverpool’s title-winning 2024-25 season and the 2025-26 campaign was the biggest fall recorded by any ever-present Premier League side across those years. This decline followed a transfer window in which Liverpool spent around 450m on Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

Slot had been seen as a strong successor to Jurgen Klopp, who resigned before the 2024-25 season. The Dutch coach then became only the fifth manager to win the Premier League in a debut campaign, after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte with Chelsea, and Manuel Pellegrini with Manchester City.

Liverpool confirmed Iraola’s arrival after the Spaniard left Bournemouth earlier in 2026, ending a successful three-year spell on the south coast. Iraola is the 23rd permanent manager in Liverpool’s history, and the second Spaniard after Rafael Benitez, who lifted the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006.

The club announced that Iraola will lead the side into the 2026-27 season, maintaining a presence in Europe after the late push for a top-five finish. Iraola told the club’s website: [I’m] really excited, really excited.