Bournemouth appoint Spaniard Andoni Iraola after shock sacking of Gary O'Neil
LONDON – Bournemouth have appointed Spaniard Andoni Iraola as their next manager after sacking Gary O’Neil on Monday.
Iraola, a 40-year-old former Athletic Bilbao midfielder, was free to take charge after leaving Rayo Vallecano at the end of the season. He spent three years there and guided them to 11th in La Liga last term.
He began his coaching career in Cyprus with AEK Larnaca and this will be his first job in the English Premier League.
Leeds had failed in an approach to land him and Bournemouth owner Bill Foley on Monday described his new employee as being “highly sought after by other clubs across the continent, and his style of play has been an important factor in making this decision”.
He added: “His achievements in Spain have certainly been very impressive, and we’re confident that he is the right man to lead our next chapter.
“We have identified a number of targets in the transfer market, which along with our January additions will supplement our strong playing squad to give Andoni the best chance to consolidate our Premier League status and keep progressing.”
O’Neil’s departure comes as a shock after he kept the club in the Premier League last season. He replaced fellow Englishman Scott Parker at the end of August following a 9-0 hammering at Liverpool before being handed the job full-time in November on an 18-month deal.
It was his first managerial position after assistant coaching roles with Liverpool Under-23s and with Bournemouth from February 2021 when the club was in the Championship.
He had two years on his current contract. An extension was automatically triggered by avoiding relegation after he steered Bournemouth to a 15th-placed finish in the league last season. But their form trailed off towards the end of the campaign, which they ended with four defeats in a row.
O’Neil, 40, collected 36 points from his 34 top-flight games in charge. He won 10 of them.
Foley said on Monday: “Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for. This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.”
The American businessman, 78, took over the Cherries in December from Russian-born British businessman Maxim Demin. He also owns ice hockey team, the Vegas Golden Knights, which in June won the Stanley Cup, and in January acquired a stake in the Ligue 1 club Lorient.
He said the change in manager would help the club better execute their strategy in the coming months.
“As a club, we have put plans in place for long-term success with improvements being made to infrastructure, most notably the development of a new state-of-the-art training facility and the ongoing discussions about upgrades to our stadium,” he said.
“Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment in time, a change is in the best interests of this football club.” - AFP, REUTERS
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