Bournemouth ‘confident’ of Andoni Iraola agreement after Man United reveal
Andoni Iraola could be set to sign a new Bournemouth contract despite Man United eyeing him as a replacement for Ruben Amorin.
Andoni Iraola has worked wonders at Bournemouth since he was appointed as their head-coach in June 2023 following Gary O’Neil’s sacking.
The Basque boss led the Cherries to a 12th-placed Premier League finish in his first campaign in charge, then they challenged for Europe last term but just came up short and eventually finished ninth.
Numerous key players like Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez left Bournemouth in the summer, with many fearful for their chances of success this term as a result, but Iraola has led his side to a great start so far with three wins from five league outings to see them into third place.
His stellar job on the south-coast has seen a number of clubs register their interest in his services, with Football Insider revealing on Monday (22 September) that Iraola is on Man United’s shortlist if Ruben Amorim is sacked, but the Cherries want to keep him and feel like they will be able to.
Bournemouth confident Iraola wants to stay with succession plan drawn up if he does leave
Football Insider have also previously revealed that Bournemouth are doing all they can to keep Iraola as they plan to formally offer him a new deal, with his current contract set to expire next year after he last signed fresh terms last summer.
According to the Daily Mail (21 September), discussions over his future are expected to happen in the coming weeks and Cherries bosses are said to be “confident” that Iraola is open to extending his stay, while Iraola is known to be relaxed about the situation.
If the worst was to happen for the club and he was to leave, the report also states that Bournemouth already have a “succession plan” in mind, whether that’s to appoint another coach with the same philosophy or to promote from within.
Bournemouth can relax about Man United’s potential to snatch Iraola with Ruben Amorim set to stay for now
Iraola has not been concretely linked to another big job aside from Man United, so the Cherries can likely stay calm about his future for now, as Ruben Amorim doesn’t look set to leave in the coming weeks despite widespread speculation.
Amorim has been unable to turn United‘s dismal fortunes around over the last 11 months since he was hired in place of Erik ten Hag at the start of November last year.
| Games Managed | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points-per-game |
| 48 | 19 | 9 | 20 | 1.38 |
Man United players reportedly have concerns about Amorim’s methods and his ability to deal with the mounting pressure on both them and him right now, but their recent win against Chelsea has likely earned him a stay of execution for now.
Recent reports have also stated that Man United will have to pay Amorim £12million if they sack him within the first year of his contract at Old Trafford on 1 November, which seems very unlikely as a result, since they paid out around £36m last year to get rid of Ten Hag and sporting director Dan Ashworth.