Andoni Iraola has been talked up as one of the early contenders to become the next Liverpool head coach after the dismissal of Arne Slot.

The Merseyside club confirmed the Dutchman’s departure on Saturday lunchtime, bringing an end to his reign at Anfield after two years in which he delivered the Premier League title before then overseeing an almighty slump to scrape fifth place.

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Fabrizio Romano reported (via X) that Iraola – who’s just finished a hugely successful three-year spell at Bournemouth – is the ‘clear favourite’ to take over at LFC, and the 43-year-old would apparently be ‘interested’ in succeeding Slot.

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O’Connor: Iraola and Liverpool could be a good fit

Speaking to Sky Sports News shortly after today’s bombshell news broke, their reporter Vinny O’Connor explained why he thinks the Spaniard could be a good fit for the Liverpool job.

He said: “There’s all kinds of tie-ins with [ex-Cherries sporting director] Richard Hughes being at Liverpool, and we broke the news the other day that Iraola would like to hold out for the Liverpool job. He’s been linked with numerous jobs already since the announcement that he’s leaving Bournemouth.

“It’s a name that Liverpool fans have mentioned. I would argue that it’s a big jump going from Bournemouth to Liverpool, certainly even bigger than going from Feyenoord to Liverpool, but at the same time, the style of play is something that Liverpool fans would definitely relate to.

“I think everyone’s been impressed with what he’s done at Bournemouth and the style of play he’s been able to implement there. I think he would get Liverpool fans and Liverpool fans would get him. I think it’s pretty easy to put him at the top of the list at the moment, but I would imagine that Liverpool are going through a pretty thorough process at the same time.”

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Iraola seems to have plenty going for him

All of those are fair points from O’Connor – Iraola’s stock is undoubtedly quite high at the moment after the exceptional job he did at Bournemouth, although expectations and scrutiny at Liverpool would be substantially higher.

While his achievement in getting the Cherries to sixth place and into the Europa League was rightly hailed as a huge success, Slot ultimately lost his job at Anfield for finishing one place higher and qualifying for the Champions League.

However, the Spaniard is renowned for a forward-thinking, high-pressing style of football which’d likely resonate with Reds supporters who’d grown weary of the Dutchman’s tepid tactics.

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O’Connor’s point about Iraola being likely to ‘get’ Liverpool supporters is also quite pertinent. Head coaches will be judged primarily on results on the pitch, but this is a club where it’s especially important to resonate with the fan base.

That’s why fans continued to back Jurgen Klopp even in difficult moments and, by contrast, weren’t willing to afford Slot the same patience when things went awry under the 47-year-old.

Missing out on Xabi Alonso to Chelsea was a sore on to take for the Reds, but if FSG can move swiftly to appoint Iraola now that he’s unattached, it’d represent a hugely promising appointment which’ll likely be very well received on the red half of Merseyside.

There are many questions around Slot’s transfer dealings, although owners Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of football Michael Edwards and sporting director Richard Hughes must also take responsibility.

Liverpool‘s key pair of power brokers were showered with bouquets in the summer. Now they must take the brickbats.

Liverpool appeared so committed to the Isak deal, the player so exiled at Newcastle after his one-man strike to get a move, that it felt like they could not turn away, even after signing Ekitike.

Did they really need Isak? The more you watched Liverpool before he broke a leg while scoring a goal in a victory at Tottenham Hotspur in December, the more he resembled the most expensive vanity purchase in Liverpool history.

Isak arrived unfit then got a groin injury. When he did play, at the expense of the one signing who was playing well at that point, Ekitike, he looked listless and off the pace, poor value for money at such an exorbitant fee.

The broken leg was another serious disruption for a player meant to provide Liverpool with a lethal spearhead. Even his return was interrupted by “minor” fitness issues.

Wirtz, whose deployment behind the strikers disrupted Liverpool‘s midfield bedrock to leave them horribly vulnerable all season, has been shifted around from his central role to the flanks as Slot has sought answers. He has shown glimpses of real class but, like Liverpool, nowhere near enough.

And having collected new signings at such a rate, did it mean Slot and Liverpool pushed a key capture down their list of priorities then failed to get it done?

Crystal Palace captain and England defender Guehi was a top target, not merely as partner to Virgil van Dijk but as cover to Ibrahima Konate, whose contract is coming to an end.

Cue the perfect storm.

Palace refused to sell. Konate’s form went into sharp decline. Van Dijk suddenly looked fallible. A solution was lost as Quansah had been sold.

When January came, Manchester City needed defensive reinforcements and paid a bargain £20m for Guehi, £15m less than Liverpool belatedly agreed.

It was intriguing to hear Slot describe Guehi as a “great signing” after he was outstanding in Manchester City‘s win at Anfield.

And through it all, Slot lost the golden touch that was so assured in his first season.

He changed formations and personnel without success. The substitutions that worked so well last season now whiffed off desperation – such as defender Konate for striker Ekitike after 55 minutes of the 3-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest – accompanied by some delusional post-match verdicts and talk of “positives” when there were none.

The season started with Liverpool looking gung-ho and wide open. Wins were secured through the high-wire act of last-gasp winners, but once Crystal Palace turned the tables with an injury time goal at Selhurst Park in September to inflict their first defeat, it all fell apart.

It’s the pinnacle of football. Kick off at the Champions League final in Budapest is just a few hours away. Arsenal are trying to win it for the first time, while Paris Saint-Germain wants to become only the second team to win it twice in a row. The atmosphere in Budapest is festive to say the least, details from the ground with FRANCE 24 journalist Selina Sykes and freelance sports journalist Karim Baldé.

David Benavidez could be set to alter his plans after a new world title opportunity was presented to the pound-for-pound star.

‘The Mexican Monster’ became a three-division world champion earlier this month, dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with a sixth-round stoppage in his first outing at 200lbs.

While claiming the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles, Benavidez still holds the WBC strap at 175lbs, affording him the option to collide with unified champion Dmitry Bivol.

It would now seem, however, that the 29-year-old is targeting WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian, who was reportedly finalising a deal to face Jai Opetaia.

The 35-year-old has not fought since his rematch with Badou Jack last December, when he exacted his revenge with a unanimous decision victory to claim the WBC belt.

Mikaelian was subsequently granted the opportunity to make a voluntary title defence, but has now missed his six-month window in which to do so.

As a result, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has responded by ordering a unification match between the Armenian and Benavidez via an official statement.

“Benavidez visited Mexico and has his mind only on winning the WBC cruiserweight championship.

“The WBC has received a letter from his promoter with the petition to mandate WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian to make his first mandatory defence against WBC light-heavyweight champion David Benavidez.

“The WBC Board has voted in favour to order cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian to fight David Benavidez.”

If Mikaelian chooses to pursue a clash with Opetaia, the Zuffa Boxing champion at 200lbs, then he will be stripped of his WBC title.

Benavidez, meanwhile, had seemingly been in talks for a potential showdown with Opetaia as well, though this seems to have been abandoned in favour of the WBC title.

Becky Lynch seems to be enjoying her time in Italy with her husband and WWE Superstar, Seth Rollins. Lynch credited RAW General Manager Adam Pearce for her vacation.

Lynch will face Sol Ruca in a rematch from Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV. Their first meeting was a non-title match, but this time around, The Man will put her WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship on the line. Ruca is aiming to win her first title on the main roster after being called up to RAW and signing with the red brand post-WrestleMania 42.

On social media, Lynch shared photos, one of which included Rollins, and credited Pearce for the Italian vacation.

“THANK YOU ADAM PEARCE!! THANK YOU WWE!!! I AM LOVING MY ITALIAN VACATION!!” wrote Becky Lynch.

Check out Lynch’s post on X:

Jim Cornette on Sol Ruca’s latest outing against Becky Lynch

Jim Cornette commented on Sol Ruca’s match against Becky Lynch from WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV. He reviewed the match and briefly spoke on Ruca’s botch.

Speaking on Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru, Cornette also mentioned that the match barely got time.

“Oh, she was definitely supposed to hit the referee by mistake. But the referee f*cking disqualified her for it. That’s the thing. She just kind of landed on her. The announcers even said it was an attempted Sol Snatcher. And then the referee called disqualification. It was in three and a half minutes. We have to endure these 20-minute IYO SKY classics. When I’m trying to watch this girl, she botches her dish, and they go three and a half minutes and she botches her one deal.”

Becky Lynch is in her third reign as the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion. She regained the title from AJ Lee at WrestleMania 42 after previously losing the title at the Elimination Chamber 2026 Premium Live Event.

Meanwhile, Ruca, who is a former Women’s Speed Champion and a former one-time NXT Women’s North American Champion, will look to dethrone Lynch in Italy.