‘Andoni Iraola to leave despite debt to Bournemouth’
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley has been sent a warning over the future of manager Andoni Iraola by a former Premier League club owner.
Iraola has done a remarkable job since taking charge of the Cherries in the summer of 2023, with the club currently competing for European qualification in the Premier League.
They have also reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup this season, where they are due to host Man City affter the March international break.
However, Iraola’s work at Bournemouth has already begun to attract interest from elsewhere, and Jordan believes that will lead to disappointment for those at the Vitality Stadium.
Andoni Iraola could jump ship as interest increases
With his work on the south coast of England coming in for plenty of praise, the Cherries boss has been linked with some high profile jobs recently.
There have been discussions about Iraola taking over at either Real Madrid or Tottenham in the wake of his impressive work with Bournemouth.
Indeed, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is under growing pressure from supporters as his side’s dismal season continues.
| Tottenham last five games | Result |
| Man City (H) | Lost 1-0 |
| AZ Alkmaar (A) | Lost 1-0 |
| Bournemouth (H) | Drew 2-2 |
| AZ Alkmaar (H) | Won 3-1 (won 3-2 on aggregate) |
| Fulham (A) | Lost 2-0 |
Now, Simon Jordan believes that Iraola would not hesitate to leave his current role if an opportunity arose at a club such as Spurs, even if he owes Bournemouth for giving him this opportunity in the first place.
While speaking on talkSPORT about Tottenham‘s apparent interest in Iraola, the former Crystal Palace chairman said: “The interesting thing for me is he owes Bournemouth a debt.
“They gave him an opportunity, they gave him an opportunity, they gave him the gateway into the Premier League, no one else did.
“The interesting for Bill Foley is: is he going to read the room properly? Because it’s one thing owning franchises in an American sport where the level of playing field is very different, it’s all designed to everybody have a chance and the legacy of certain environments are not the same as legacy football clubs.
“Iraola will do what all football managers do, when a big football club comes knocking on his door, he will disappoint the people that gave him his start.”
Bournemouth must brace for manager exit
Football Insider Verdict
Iraola will be well aware of how good a job he has done with Bournemouth, and how good a manager that has shown him to be.
He will therefore be keen to prove that by managing at the very highest level he possibly can, so a move could be on the cards in the near future.
The extra fiancial strength, infrastructure and standard of player on offer at a club such as Tottenham, would surely give him that opportunity to take the next step in his career from where he is now.
As a result, you couldn’t blame him for taking that opportunity were it to come along, especially when considering what the individual rewards from such a move could be for him.
It is also worth noting that as with any football owner, Foley would not hesitate to sack Iraola if results dropped off over a period of time, regardless of what he has done for the club already.
So there is an argument that he ought not to be showing any loyalty to someone, who would be unlikely to give it to him.
But given Bournemouth may receive just £5million in compensation if Iraola leaves, the prospect of a club such as Tottenham showing interest him is surely a major concern at the Vitality Stadium.