Iraola, from Usúrbil to Anfield: “He’s a special coach”

Everything comes to those who wait. Andoni Iraola (Usúrbil, 1982) and Bournemouth understood that better than most — and time, “the most valuable currency we have,” ultimately proved them right. Patience, work, and results brought their reward.

Next season, the Cherries will travel across Europe for the first time in their history, and Iraola will take his place on the home bench at Anfield as Liverpool’s new manager through 2028. None of it makes sense without the three historic seasons Iraola and his staff — the same group joining him in Merseyside — spent transforming Bournemouth.

Pablo de la Torre, more than just Iraola’s longtime fitness coach through Cyprus, Vallecas, and Bournemouth, describes him with four words: honesty, sincerity, humility, and respect. De la Torre, trained in sports science and physical therapy, spoke exclusively with AS about everything the staff lived, built, and learned in southern England — and what comes next. Because every Don Quixote needs a Sancho Panza.

From the brink of firing… to making history twice

Hiring Iraola in June 2023 was controversial. Keeping him after nine straight winless Premier League matches was even more so. His first season in England began with three draws and six losses, leaving Bournemouth 18th with just three points. But Iraola later told AS he always felt the club’s support. The 2–1 win over Burnley on Matchday 10 changed everything.

“Seeing the footballing and human evolution has been one of the greatest prides of my career”

Pablo de la Torre, expreparador físico del Bournemouth, a AS.

From not winning a single league match until late October 2023…to a seven‑game unbeaten streak with six wins and a draw.From whispers of dismissal…to mid‑table stability.

And in between, historic results — including a 3–0 win at Old Trafford - the first of several landmark victories that cemented Iraola’s reputation in English soccer.

De la Torre credits the club as much as the staff: “Respecting the timeline needed for a team — or even a club — to undergo a transformation like this has been crucial. Seeing that daily evolution, football‑wise and human‑wise, is one of the proudest achievements of my career.”

Trust the process, indeed.

The Spanish Bournemouth that broke tradition

Adaptation was key. Bournemouth had never — in more than 120 years — hired a non‑British manager. From Leslie Knighton to Gary O’Neil, every coach had been English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish… until Iraola and De la Torre arrived.

Bournemouth isn’t a traditional English powerhouse. The 2026–27 season will be only their 10th in the top flight. But the club is special, and the Spanish staff understood that immediately. Instead of imposing their methods, they integrated themselves into the club’s culture.

Respecting the roots of a community‑driven club that nearly disappeared in 2008 — when a £4 million debt (about $5.1 million) pushed them into administration and cost them 17 points — became part of the project’s identity. From that crisis, Bournemouth climbed back: League One in 2010, Championship in 2013, Premier League in 2015.

Five straight Premier League seasons under Eddie Howe were historic. But what Iraola achieved later would be even more unforgettable.

Record after record — and then another

After returning to the Premier League in 2022, Iraola arrived ready to write his own chapter. Despite the rough start, Bournemouth finished the 2023–24 season 12th with 48 points, breaking their all‑time Premier League points record. No surprise the club quickly extended his contract through 2026.

But the magic didn’t stop there.

In 2024–25, Bournemouth spent time in European qualification spots — even reaching 5th place twice — before finishing 9th with 56 points, another club record. Standout performances from Dean Huijsen, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo, Illia Zabarnyi, Ryan Christie, Milos Kerkez, and Dango Ouattara pushed the team to a new level.

And the best was still to come.

In the words of Pablo de la Torre, Iraola’s longtime right‑hand man, the secret was simple and profound:

“The key is building a game model and team identity where players truly believe in the coach’s idea. Beyond results, I’m proud to have been part of a group that never stopped believing, competing, and improving.”

And what a way they proved it. Because the 2025–26 season, Iraola’s final year on the south coast before heading to Liverpool, became the greatest season in Bournemouth’s history.

A blistering start — Bournemouth in second place

Through Matchday 9, Bournemouth were… second in the Premier League. Five wins, three draws, one loss. They even had a chance — briefly — to go top of the league.

Everything was clicking. But then, for about a month, the balloon deflated. Bournemouth slid to 15th, where they stayed until Matchday 22. The European dream seemed to be slipping away.

Iraola admitted as much in the mixed zone: “I don’t think we’ll have enough,” he said, half‑frustrated but never resigned.

His team fought anyway — and how.

A team with identity — and the courage to believe

De la Torre highlighted one of Iraola’s trademarks: “He builds brave teams, capable of believing they can beat anyone — even going a full round unbeaten, something only Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea had ever done.”

And Bournemouth didn’t just believe it. They lived it.

The Cherries put together a historic unbeaten run — the longest active streak in Europe’s top leagues — and clinched a spot in the 2026–27 Europa League. With one match left, they were still in the hunt for the Champions League, finishing just three points behind Liverpool.

This, from a team whose fitness coach was still joking about “securing survival” after beating Arsenal at the Emirates for the second straight year.

The Premier League’s new giant‑killer

Iraola placed his name alongside Arsène Wenger, Pep Guardiola, and José Mourinho by turning Bournemouth into the league’s newest giant‑slayer.

Not only did they go 18 straight league matches without losing, they did it while beating:

Since losing to Arsenal on January 3 at the Vitality Stadium, Iraola’s Bournemouth never lost again in the Premier League — exactly the farewell he asked of his players.

And truthfully, Bournemouth had been punching above their weight against the Big Six ever since Iraola arrived.

Doing it the hard way — replacing an entire core

Going unbeaten longer than Bayern Munich is impressive. Doing it in a season when Bournemouth’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, had to replace nearly every key player who left in the summer of 2025... That’s something else entirely.

Even a mass exodus of stars — in both the summer and winter windows — couldn’t stop Iraola’s team from making history.

Bournemouth, Europe’s new talent factory

The Cherries didn’t just win. They evolved. They produced. They became a club where players grew, where ideas flourished, and where a Spanish coach and his staff built something lasting.

And now, as Iraola heads to Liverpool and Bournemouth prepares for its first European adventure, the legacy is clear:

Bournemouth didn’t just rise.They transformed.They became a model — a blueprint — for how belief, identity, and patience can reshape a club.

If you want, I can continue with the next section of the story, craft a Google Discover‑optimized summary, or build a timeline of Iraola’s three‑year transformation.

Bournemouth’s rise as Europe’s new talent factory — and the coach every big club wanted

Bournemouth have quietly become one of Europe’s most efficient talent‑spotting, talent‑developing, and talent‑exporting clubs. Buy low, polish fast, sell high. Season after season, the Cherries have been forced to rebuild because their breakout stars — unearthed for modest fees — became too good to keep. Owner Bill Foley found a gold mine on England’s south coast, and he handed the pickaxes to two Spanish “miners”: Andoni Iraola and Pablo de la Torre.

Few people understand that process better than De la Torre, who worked directly with rising stars like Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, and most recently Eli Junior Kroupi. As he explains it:

“Rebuilding means investing huge amounts of time teaching players a new work system and game model. The ones who grow the fastest usually play a ton of minutes and stay available all season. When they leave, you lose robustness and key pieces who already understood the plan.”

And yet, Bournemouth kept getting better.

Losing Dominic Solanke, Illia Zabarnyi, or Antoine Semenyo would cripple most clubs. At Bournemouth, it became proof the project was working. De la Torre puts it plainly:

“The club deserves enormous credit for identifying generational talents with different strengths but perfectly complementary profiles.”

Since Iraola arrived, Bournemouth have generated around €390 million in sales, while steadily increasing investment across three seasons (roughly €130M, €137M, and €181M). And with giants circling for Kroupi, Rayan, Alex Scott, and Adrien Truffert, that number is only going up.

Everyone wanted Iraola

If Europe’s biggest clubs wanted Bournemouth’s players, it was only a matter of time before they wanted the man behind the transformation. After 15 months of negotiations, Bournemouth announced in mid‑April that Iraola was leaving — the news fans hoped would never come.

He had always said, “You have to earn the right to stay every season.” And he did. But after deep reflection, he felt it was the right moment to step aside — even if that meant not coaching the team he had just led to Europe for the first time in 127 years.

De la Torre packed his bags too. But when Bournemouth won at Craven Cottage (0–1) and moved within touching distance of Europe, Iraola showed zero regret. His only goal was to finish the job: secure European qualification and complete the season unbeaten. Offers could wait.

Because Iraola, as De la Torre puts it, is “a special coach.”

“He’s incredibly intelligent, leads by example, and has a rare emotional stability in such a visceral sport. From day one, you sense he’s different — his ability to read the game and its needs is almost unique. He filters information so players can digest it easily and apply it every week.”

No wonder Chelsea, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Milan, and Bayer Leverkusen all had him on their shortlist.

But Iraola waited.

Chelsea secured Xabi Alonso. United extended Michael Carrick. Others held their breath.

Then Liverpool fired Arne Slot.

With Xabi Alonso out of the equation and fans desperate to restore the lost “rock & roll” identity after Jürgen Klopp’s departure — a coach who had publicly praised Iraola’s Bournemouth — the move became inevitable. On June 4, it became official: Iraola to Anfield, contract through 2028.

A full‑circle moment — 13 years in the making

Thirteen years earlier, Iraola, then on the books at Athletic Club, had turned down Liverpool as a player, sending a handwritten letter thanking the club for their interest. That gesture, as The Times revealed, was never forgotten at Anfield.

Neither was his football.

The same hyper‑specific, ever‑evolving system he and De la Torre built at Bournemouth — centered on game moments, verticality, pressing, and clarity — convinced Liverpool’s leadership. According to Opta, Iraola’s Bournemouth ranked:

A style that is aggressive, electric, and unmistakably Iraola.

Exactly what Liverpool need after a season to forget.

A new era at Anfield

Liverpool value identity. They value style. They value authenticity. That’s why they chose Iraola — and why they also brought along the meticulous, ambitious, detail‑obsessed Pablo de la Torre.

Together, they form a tandem built for the Premier League’s highest stage.

And on the red side of Merseyside, fans are ready for the next chapter.

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