Arne Slot’s time at Liverpool has come to an end following the 2025-26 season, with Andoni Iraola emerging as the new favourite to replace the Dutchman in the Anfield dugout for next season.

The Reds endured a dismal Premier League campaign after the heights of winning the title last season, with performances dropping off to a considerable degree.

While one point in the final game of the season was enough to secure a return to the Champions League for next campaign, fans had already voiced their discontent in recent weeks over decisions being made by the head coach.

That played a part in Slot losing his job, but with Xabi Alonso taking the job at Chelsea, there has been no obvious candidate to take over the role.

That is until now, with Iraola seemingly on Liverpool’s radar, with the Spaniard having left Bournemouth at the end of the season.

It would be a huge call from the board, but one that may well have the Jurgen Klopp seal of approval.

Jurgen Klopp’s Andoni Iraola Assessment

A possible switch for Iraola to Liverpool could see the side return to the “heavy metal” pressing style that won over many fans during the Klopp era.

The legendary former manager has previously given his praise to the 43-year-old for his impact at Bournemouth, when speaking back in January 2024.

He said: “I really have time to admire what he [Andoni Iraola] is doing there. Obviously it was a very difficult start for him at Bournemouth with the manager change and all these kinds of things.

“The support he gets from the centre, from the wings. The way they defend, really good, really compact.”

Those are the kinds of comments that Liverpool fans will want to hear, especially considering the struggles that the team have faced this season.

The pressing style has been traded for controlled possession, but without the right balance that has seen the performances look a jumbled mess.

While the Reds only just got over the line in pursuit of Champions League football, a drop-off of 23 goals from the last Premier League campaign will cause some worry.

There were mitigating factors, but perhaps one of them was the manager, which could prompt the move to Iraola and a return to the sort of energy and intensity that fans want to see.

Andoni Iraola Needs Time

If Iraola makes the switch to Liverpool, then one thing that is certain is that he will need time to adjust and make things work, as he needed at Bournemouth.

During his early time with the Cherries, the manager won none of his first nine games, but eventually got his players coached and used to his style. Even Antoine Semenyo, who has since left the club to join Manchester City, admitted that it took some convincing to see the direction the coach was taking them.

Speaking on the All Out Football podcast, he said: “I didn’t see it [his vision] at the start. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see it. Don’t get me wrong, when he came in, he had his way of playing and it was very new to us.

“The way he structured the weeks, we didn’t really have any days off, nothing. So like it’s very hard for a team from having one Wednesday or Sunday off to no days off…”

While that took its time to work, Bournemouth have since become an impressive unit, something Liverpool could become if the coach is given time to impress.

There may also need to be an injection of energy in the squad in the summer transfer window, all to give him the best chance of succeeding if he is named the next head coach.

Crystal Palace are pushing ahead with their transfer plans for the 2026/27 season despite being without a manager.

Oliver Glasner announced earlier in the campaign that he would be leaving the club when his contract expired this summer.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss went out at Selhurst Park on a high by leading the Eagles to the Europa Conference League title, 12 months on from winning the FA Cup.

Palace are now in the process of appointing their next manager with Dino Toppmoller, who was most recently in charge at Frankfurt, and RC Lens boss Pierre Sage, emerging as two key targets.

The Eagles are still getting to work with their recruitment as they wait for their new manager and Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney has emerged as a target for the London side.

Crystal Palace prepare formal move for Hayden Hackney

That is according to the Northern Echo, who have also revealed interest from Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

Red Devils boss Michael Carrick worked with Hackney at Boro, which could give Palace’s Premier League rivals the edge in the race for the player’s signature.

However, Palace are still ‘expected’ to make a formal move for the midfielder.

Hackney, who has been described by his Middlesbrough manager as “unbelievable”, has just 12 months left on his contract at the Riverside Stadium and the north east club are likely going to have to accept a decent offer as several Premier League sides circle.

Nottingham Forest are another top-flight club with an interest in signing the player. Hackney claimed five goals and six assists in 39 Championship appearances last term and Boro will want at least £25million to sanction the player’s exit.

Crystal Palace to try convince Adam Wharton to stay

Hackney has been listed as a potential replacement for Eagles midfielder Adam Wharton.

Interest in the former Blackburn Rovers midfielder is likely to gather pace in the coming months. He has been a long-term target for the likes of Man United and Liverpool.

The Eagles are under little pressure to sell him at this stage as he still has three years remaining on his contract.

Sky Sports News reported last week that Palace would try to convince Wharton to stay at the club for one more year following their Europa Conference League triumph.

The win over Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig means the Eagles have qualified for the Europa League. Palace hope the offer of playing European football will be enough for Wharton to stick around for one more season.

The 22-year-old, who won the Player of the Match in the Conference League final, still has plenty of time on his side if he opted to remain at Selhurst Park for another season.

Arsenal came within a penalty shootout of completing one of the most remarkable doubles in English football history.

A Premier League title lifted at Selhurst Park, followed six days later by a Champions League final in Budapest. It was the stuff that dreams are made of, and for at least an hour, it looked entirely possible. Kai Havertz’s early opener had the red half of Budapest daring to believe, before Ousmane Dembele’s equaliser from the penalty spot drew matters level midway through the second half.

It was from the same place that Arsenal suffered their ultimate heartbreak, where misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel ultimately ended their hopes of the double.

Mikel Arteta’s approach to the final made many think whether it was the right way to set up for a Champions League final, and one of the most decorated players in English football history has waded his way into the conversation, with his verdict certain to divide opinion.

Gary Lineker, speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, was generous in his praise of Arsenal’s achievement in reaching the final, but pulled no punches when it came to assessing what the outcome meant for the game as a whole.

In his view, PSG’s victory wasn’t just a win for the French club, it was a win for football itself: “Looking at the game as a fan with no skin in the game, I think Arsenal had to play that way because they wouldn’t have beaten PSG any other way, but at the same time I think football won.”

Lineker was careful to acknowledge the legitimacy of defensive football, but made clear where his sympathies as a neutral lie:

He identified three teams as having reached that level in Europe this season, and Arsenal weren’t among them: “I think this season those three teams have been PSG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.”

It’s a view that won’t sit well with Arsenal supporters, and many will argue that reaching a Champions League final without losing a single match in the competition until the penalty shootout is itself a mark of footballing excellence.

Mikel Arteta Vows Arsenal Will Learn From Champions League Pain

For his part, Arteta was in no mood to engage with the tactical debate in the immediate aftermath of the final. The Arsenal manager cut a devastated figure in Budapest and chose instead to focus on the raw emotion of the occasion and what it means for the club going forward.

“We haven’t done it for 22 years [reached the Champions League final], so imagine the second time in our history that we have done it, and we need to recognise the season we had. But at the moment nobody is going to take the pain away from you. You have to go through the emotions and if you’re in pain, then go through the pain. If you think you could do something else, then learn from it. Reflect on that and show the ambition that we want to have again.”

On PSG, Arteta was noble in defeat: “They are a superb team and I congratulate them. Individual quality they have, the manner they are coached – they are a top, top team.”

Arteta and his squad joined an estimated 1.5 million supporters on the streets of north London for the Premier League title parade, a reminder that for all the heartbreak of Budapest, this is still the most successful season Arsenal have enjoyed in a generation.