Bournemouth have appointed Andoni Iraola as their new head coach, just hours after sacking Gary O’Neil.
Spaniard Iraola, who was previously wanted by Leeds, recently ended a three-season spell in charge of La Liga side Rayo Vallecano.
The 40-year-old former Spain and Athletic Bilbao defender has agreed a two-year contract.
Bournemouth chairman Bill Foley said: “We’re so excited to welcome Andoni to the club. With his contract in Spain coming to an end this summer, we wanted to act quickly.
"He was highly sought after by other clubs across the continent, and his style of play has been an important factor in making this decision.”
Iraola began his managerial career with Cypriot club AEK Larnaca in 2018 before spending 2019-20 with Spanish second division side Mirandes.
He then guided Vallecano to promotion to La Liga in 2021, prior to securing two mid-table finishes, in addition to a run to the Copa del Rey semi-finals in 2022.
Sporting Life football expert Liam Kelly
While it feels as though the sacking of Gary O'Neil could be a harsh one when considering survival was achieved, only Southampton ended the season with a worse goal difference than Bournemouth.
Despite a strong finish they also had an expected goal difference (xGD) of -26.2, so there is an argument to be made that Bournemouth must be much better to survive in 2023/24.
O'Neil was almost certainly a short-term plan when he replaced Scott Parker but deserves credit for at least making the club's decision to now sack him a questionable one.
This both feels like an understandable move from Bournemouth, given the resources available with another season in the Premier League guaranteed, and an unfortunate dismissal for a young manager who did particularly well with the squad at his disposal.
