Liverpool timeline opens door for Andoni Iraola twist as future plan emerges

Andoni Iraola could position himself to have a crack at the Liverpool head coach role in the middle of the 2026/27 season.

As things stand, the Spaniard is believed to be Crystal Palace’s top choice to replace outgoing boss Oliver Glasner this summer, according to the BBC.

However, the incumbent Bournemouth manager is believed to be considering holding off on accepting employment at the end of the season.

Andoni Iraola could be the next Liverpool head coach

There’s a world in which Iraola is the man available at the right time (even if he’s not, ideally, the right man, per se) for the vacant head coach position at Anfield.

Liverpool, according to reliable sources, are prepared to commit to Arne Slot ahead of the 2025/26 season.

If we’re to take those reports as gospel, the Dutchman will be given some extra time to prove that he remains the right man for the job.

Of course, if he can’t manage to correct Liverpool’s course next term, we can’t imagine that FSG’s patience will be limitless.

And then it becomes a matter of analysing the options before the club in the middle of the campaign.

Xabi Alonso to Chelsea would leave Liverpool with slim pickings

Assuming that Slot stays put at L4, it would leave Chelsea free to snap up their top target in Xabi Alonso.

In which case, with options of a similar calibre unlikely to be available in the middle of the 2026/27 season, Liverpool’s best choice to replace the Dutchman may look a lot like Iraola.

Of course, that all hinges on the Cherries boss opting to roll the dice on the quality of jobs available in the middle of the season.

In terms of how good a fit Richard Hughes’ old pal on the south coast would be at L4… well, that’s up for debate.

* Andoni Iraola’s all-time managerial stats with Bournemouth (Transfermarkt)

We admire the superb work Andoni Iraola has done with Bournemouth, but the step up to the Liverpool job is quite a big leap, as the likes of Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson discovered.

But who else are we likely to be able to call in the middle of a campaign if Alonso’s been swayed by the Chelsea job offer?