Bournemouth ‘working overtime to agree Andoni Iraola deal’ after Tottenham update
Bournemouth are doing everything in their power to agree a new contract with Andoni Iraola amid concerns about his long-term future.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Cherries are desperate to keep the 42-year-old for the foreseeable future.
This comes amid links with potentially open managerial positions with the likes of Tottenham and Real Madrid, who have been impressed by his work.
Iraola’s current deal is set to expire at the end of next season, June 2026, adding to concern that he could be tempted away from the Vitality.
After 25 Premier League games, Bournemouth sit in fifth place, just one point behind Manchester City and above the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Aston Villa.
Their current run of form has seen them lose just one of their last 15 games across all competitions.
Despite plenty of raised eyebrows when he was first appointed to replace Gary O’Neil, Bournemouth are now harbouring outside hopes of Champions League qualification.
Bournemouth opening Andoni Iraola talks
Football Insider first revealed in December that Bournemouth want Iraola to commit to a long-term deal as part of an ambitious project for the club.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience working closely with elite-level managers including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ron Atkinson, insisted that the Cherries will already be working behind the scenes to reach an agreement with the manager.
“Bournemouth will do everything in their power to keep him,” he told Football Insider.
“Not just because of any possible interest from Tottenham or Madrid, but more widely for the club.
“Andoni Iraola has done a fantastic job there since he arrived and they’ll want to keep that going.
“A club like Bournemouth, when you’re in the Premier League and you find yourselves able to push a bit higher, you’ve got to try to maintain that.
“That means keeping continuity there with the manager and the players.
“If as soon as you get to where you’re aiming to be, you lose your manager and have to start again, it can be a really difficult situation.
“From top to bottom, the club have to decide where they want to be.
“Everybody would say ‘we want to win games and be competitive’, so then the question is what are you willing to do to make that happen?
“In their case, that means keeping hold of their manager for the long-term future.
“I expect they’ll already be speaking to him and working behind the scenes to reach an agreement, because it’s such an important deal for them to get done.”
Antoine Semenyo linked with Vitality exit after Chelsea twist
Bournemouth’s impressive performances so far this season have not only attracted admirers of Iraola, but a number of their key players as well.
Semenyo has gone from strength to strength since the season began, leading to interest from the likes of Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool.
The Ghana international has made 27 appearances so far this season and has scored nine goals and provided five assists under Iraola’s guidance.
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