Andoni Iraola can restore the high-octane football that Liverpool fans cherished under Jurgen Klopp should he become their manager.
That’s the view of European football journalist Kevin Hatchard after the Reds announced the departure of Arne Slot on Saturday.
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Slot has been dismissed just a year after winning the Premier League title in his debut season.
Liverpool finished the 2025/26 campaign fifth and 25 points behind champions Arsenal, and didn’t win a trophy.
Not even a £446million summer spree, that broke the British transfer record on two occasions, could help Liverpool retain their crown.
eSPORTY understands that former Bournemouth boss Iraola is the standout candidate to replace Slot, and talks are advancing.
Iraola would be the club’s second appointment since the legendary Klopp left in 2024 after nine-year stint that delivered eight trophies.
The German was known for deploying an intense style of football in which Liverpool spent most of the match on the front foot.
Fans appeared to miss it during Slot’s tenure, but Hatchard believes it could return with Iraola at the helm.
“I actually think Iraola is probably the best choice, is probably the best fit,” he said on Weekend Sports Breakfast for eSPORTY.
“I’ve seen this with (Borussia) Dortmund, when you worship at the altar of Klopp, there’s a certain expectation of the way you’re going to play. I don’t think Dortmund recovered from losing Jurgen Klopp for years.
“There’s an argument to say they never have because even now, you’ve got a manager in place in Niko Kovac that has just led them to second with the best defensive record in the Bundesliga.
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“And yet, there is a big portion of the fanbase who say, ‘It’s too defensive, we don’t like it, we want somebody else’.
“So, I’m not defending Slot, I’m not saying Liverpool fans are wrong, what I’m saying is when you get used to that full throttle football, it’s then quite jarring to move away from.
“I think Andoni Iraola can bring that back, I think he’s an excellent coach and I think he probably is, for me, a better fit for what Liverpool fans want than maybe Xabi Alonso would be.”
Slot deserves credit despite poor season
After being named as successor to Klopp, Slot made an instant impression on the Liverpool fanbase by winning the Premier League.
However, the club later faced the tragic news of the death of Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car crash with his brother Andre Silva.
Jota played a key role in their league success and his passing made the summer a difficult time for Liverpool.
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Hatchard was asked about what could be next for Slot after his exit, and praised the Dutchman for how he acted during tough times.
“I think he will be in demand. I mean, this is a Premier League winning manager,” he explained.
“This is somebody who I think dealt with an unbelievably difficult summer with great dignity, and I thought he led the organisation incredibly well.
“It was such an unusual, tragic situation when they lost Diogo Jota in the way that they did, a horrendous situation for everyone at the club.
“He had to navigate a way through that, he had to help his players, he had to be the face of the club, I thought he did that incredibly well.
“He was phenomenal last season in guiding them to the Premier League title, but they have fallen off it for various reasons.
“Liverpool were briefing that he was going to stay pretty much up until he didn’t so, it’s obviously been quite a tough decision for them.”
