---
title: "Andoni Iraola officially appointed Liverpool manager: contract details, new staff, and transfer targets"
description: "Liverpool has officially appointed Andoni Iraola as head coach starting July 1, 2026. The Spaniard will replace Arne Slot and bring his staff from Bournemouth. The first transfer target named is PSG's Ukrainian defender Ilya Zabarnyi. ⚽🔴🇬🇧"
date: 2026-06-05T09:08:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/andoni-iraoa-officially-appointed-liverpool-manager
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Andoni Iraola officially appointed Liverpool manager: contract details, new staff, and transfer targets

![Andoni Iraola at the official presentation as Liverpool FC head coach holding a club jersey against a backdrop of sponsor logos](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/05/andoni-iraoa-ofitsialno-glavnyy-trener-liverpulya/andoni-iraoa-ofitsialno-glavnyy-trener-liverpulya-1.webp)

The legendary English club Liverpool has officially announced the appointment of a new head coach. The 43-year-old Spanish specialist Andoni Iraola has taken the helm of the Merseyside side. The contract comes into effect on July 1, 2026, signaling a change of era for the club following the departure of Arne Slot.

### Change of power at Anfield

The decision to change managers was a result of the previous season's outcomes. Dutch specialist Arne Slot left his post after the team failed to win a single trophy and finished only fifth in the Premier League. Despite the disappointments in the domestic league, Liverpool achieved its main objective—securing a place in the Champions League.

The first major test for Iraola will be the summer pre-season tour. At the end of July and beginning of August, the "Reds" will travel to the USA for the friendly Premier League Summer Series tournament. During the series of matches, Liverpool's opponents will be Sunderland, Wrexham, and Leeds.

### From Athletic to Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola is a bright representative of the Basque coaching school. His career is inextricably linked to football: he spent the majority of his playing time at Athletic Bilbao, where he played over 500 matches in 12 seasons. His coaching career began with work at Cypriot AEK Larnaca and Spanish Rayo Vallecano.

Iraola's breakthrough came in 2023 when he took charge of Bournemouth. In three years with the "Cherries," he built a team capable of causing sensations. Under his leadership, the modest club demonstrated steady progress in the Premier League, which attracted the attention of top English clubs.

### A team of like-minded individuals

Iraola does not plan to start from scratch at Liverpool. He will bring his trusted staff to the new job, with whom he achieved success at the Vitality Stadium. The coaching team will include:

- Pablo de la Torre;

- Tommy Elphick;

- Sean Cooper;

- Tom Webber.

### Transfer target: Ilya Zabarnyi

Immediately after Iraola's appointment, European media linked Liverpool with the name of Ukrainian central defender Ilya Zabarnyi. The 23-year-old player, who plays for French club PSG, won Ligue 1 and the Champions League in the current season. In total, he has played 37 matches and scored one goal.

The Merseysiders' interest in the Ukrainian looks logical: the team is expected to lose French defender Ibrahima Konaté in the near future. Liverpool scouts have given exclusively positive reports on the performance of the Kyiv Dynamo graduate. Moreover, Zabarnyi himself is interested in moving to Anfield to work under Iraola again, with whom they previously crossed paths during their time at Bournemouth. Preliminary negotiations between the player's representatives and the club have already taken place.