Andoni Iraola is close to the Liverpool dugout, with a verbal agreement in place and a two-year deal offered. The timing is awkward. Arne Slot has gone after a disappointing defence of the Premier League title, Mohamed Salah has left on a free transfer, and the club now have to replace his output without him.
Why the squad fit looks awkward
The issue is not just the change in manager. It is that Liverpool have already assembled a squad full of players who may not suit the pressing, high-energy demands associated with Iraola’s football. Jamie Carragher said Liverpool recruited for Slot’s style, which was “a bit more control”, and then singled out Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké as players who do not press naturally.
There is some evidence behind the concern. Isak made 14 Premier League appearances and scored 3 league goals. Wirtz played 33 league matches with a 6.81 rating. Ekitiké’s 6.93 rating was the best of the trio Carragher highlighted, which tells its own story: there is talent there, but the fit question is real.
The broader numbers are not flattering either. Liverpool finished 5th in the Premier League with 59 points and conceded 52 league goals. That is a squad with enough quality to stay competitive, but not enough balance to make a manager’s job easy.
Jurgen Klopp called Iraola’s Bournemouth work “real coaching” and praised the way the team were set up. That gives Liverpool a clear reason to trust the appointment. It does not remove the mismatch he inherits.
The rebuild has already shifted into the full-backs and midfield
John Barnes said Jeremie Frimpong and Miloš Kerkez must stop feeling like they are replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson. That is a fair warning, because those roles now sit at the centre of the next tactical adjustment.
Liverpool bought Frimpong and Kerkez for a combined £69million, and the defensive balance still looks unsettled. Kerkez played 34 Premier League matches, while Alexis Mac Allister played 37 and returned only 2 goals and 4 assists. Barnes was blunt about the team shape too, saying they have been “all attack, attack, attack” and need to be stronger defensively as a unit.
That is the part Iraola has to solve quickly. The club are not starting from scratch, but they are also not handing him a neat, finished squad. The attacking names are expensive, Salah is gone, and the numbers suggest Liverpool were already short of control and defensive security before the next manager arrived.
If Iraola gets the job, the first month will be about sorting roles, not selling a vision. Liverpool have already triggered an option to extend Alisson Becker's contract to the end of next season, which at least gives him one stable piece while the rest of the team is being reworked. The next test is whether the rest of the squad can actually handle the pace he is likely to demand.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
