The talk about who’s in the dugout at Anfield has gone into overdrive after Liverpool’s heavy 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals. On a recent talkSPORT broadcast, host Adrian Durham asked if the club’s owners might be forced into a big call on Arne Slot’s future.
Commentator Jim Proudfoot chimed in, suggesting Andoni Iraola is the top choice if a change happens this summer. Proudfoot pointed out that Liverpool’s technical director, Richard Hughes, is still a huge fan of the Spaniard, having hired him back when they were both at Bournemouth.
While it looks like Liverpool might stick with Slot for the rest of the season to try and lock down a top-five finish, his long-term job security is looking shaky. Iraola’s contract situation is only adding to the noise, with his current deal reportedly ending this summer.
Even with fans constantly calling for Xabi Alonso, Proudfoot insists that Iraola’s reputation is still sky-high and he’s definitely someone the club would want to talk to. Because of that, this week’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain is being seen as a make-or-break moment for Slot’s chances of keeping his job next season.
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Andoni Iraola, now 43 and a former regular for the Spanish national team, brings the kind of tactical flexibility that Liverpool seem to be missing under Slot’s predictable system. While plenty of fans are dreaming of Xabi Alonso, the professional history between Iraola and Richard Hughes is a much more realistic path for the owners. Slot has struggled to maintain the high-intensity style the club is known for, which explains the staggering 15 losses they’ve suffered this year.
Picking Iraola would mean a move toward a more aggressive, high-pressing game that fits the current players better than the current stale approach. If the Reds don’t show some real fight in Paris this Wednesday, the board should probably go for Iraola right away to fix the culture before the 2026 pre-season starts.
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Relying on past bank credit rarely works at this level when the team is heading toward mediocrity. You can’t ignore the fact that Iraola has done more with less, making him the logical pick to wake up a fading giant.
