MADRID, 19 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Basque coach Andoni Iraola will occupy the bench of Bournemouth in the English Premier League for the next two seasons, the club announced on Monday.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Andoni Iraola as the new coach of the club with a two-year contract,” the entity advanced in a statement.
Iraola signs for the Premier team after disassociating himself from Rayo Vallecano, a group with which he did not renew his contract after a successful adventure of three seasons and a hard-earned eleventh place in the last season of LaLiga Santander.
The Basque coach was one of the great architects of the rise of the team from the strip to ‘First’ in the 2019-2020 campaign. ‘Orchestra conductor’ of a Rayo who has flirted with European competitions in recent years, one of Iraola’s great achievements was getting his team into the semifinals of the Copa del Rey 2021-2022, building a solid team capable of win in the League against FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid.
Before, he had already led Mirandés from the Second Division to other cup semis, in 2019-2020, for the second time in the club’s history. His coaching career began at Cypriot side AEK Larnaca, qualifying the team to the group stage of the Europa League.
The former right-back, with 551 professional appearances at Athletic Club and New York City, now joins Bournemouth’s new project, after the dismissal of coach Gary O’Neil, who left the ‘Cherries’ fifteenth in the Premier .
“As his contract in Spain ended this summer, we wanted to act quickly. He was a highly coveted manager for other clubs on the continent, and his style of play was an important factor in making this decision. His achievements in Spain have been certainly impressive, and we are sure he is the right man to lead our next chapter,” said Bournemouth owner and chairman Bill Foley.
The president also hopes to create a “solid squad” with new signings in the summer, to give Iraola “the best opportunity to consolidate” the situation of the team, which returned last season to the top flight of English football.
The Basque coach will begin working with the squad in the preseason in July, as confirmed by the club itself. Their first rivals will be Hibernian and Maccabi from Tel Aviv, in two friendlies that will take place on July 13 and 16, respectively. Later, Bournemouth will host, at the end of that month, Atalanta and FC Lorient.