Spanish tactician, Andoni Iraola will leave AFC Bournemouth at the end of the season after failing to agree to a new contract, bringing his two-year spell on the south coast to an end.
Andoni Iraola, 43, joined in 2023 to replace Gary O’Neil and quickly reshaped the club’s fortunes. Bournemouth finished 12th and ninth in his first two full seasons and sit 11th this season, three points behind Chelsea with six matches remaining.
Club sources say Bournemouth were determined to keep Iraola but negotiations over a new deal broke down, meaning one of Europe’s most highly rated coaches will depart on a free this summer.
Iraola has not confirmed his next move, though he has been strongly linked with a return to Athletic Bilbao, where he spent 12 years as a player and made more than 400 appearances.
The Basque club will be searching for a new manager after Ernesto Valverde announced in March that he would step down at the end of the campaign, concluding his latest four-year spell in charge. Across three stints, Valverde reached two Copa del Rey finals, winning the competition in 2023-24, and lifted the Supercopa de España in 2015.
Iraola is understood to have informed Bournemouth he has not finalised his next destination, although a family desire to return to Spain has played a role in his decision to leave.
