Andoni Iraola has left Bournemouth, creating another managerial vacancy in the Premier League. His potential return to Athletic Club in Bilbao adds to the ongoing managerial changes expected this summer.
Andoni Iraola has created another managerial vacancy in the Premier League [Getty Images]
Andoni Iraola's decision to leave Bournemouth - amid strong links with a return to his spiritual home at Athletic Club in Bilbao - is not only a bitter blow to the Cherries, but adds to the managerial churn that will take place in the Premier League this summer.
The 43-year-old has done an outstanding job at Bournemouth since chairman Bill Foley made the surprise decision to sack the well-regarded Gary O'Neil and replace him with Iraola in June 2023.
Iraola's departure, with the Spaniard tipped to return to the Basque club where he played more than 400 games over 12 seasons, adds further to the already dizzying speed at which the managerial merry-go-round will be spinning over next few months.
The list of clubs seeking new managers, or pondering the futures of those they currently employ, could make this a non-stop summer of managerial conjecture involving those from the top right down to the bottom.
The highest number of changes - based on the manager being different for the first Premier League game from the final match of the previous campaign, and excluding newly promoted teams - is seven in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
At the start of last season, Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur and Keith Andrews, who succeeded him at Brentford, were the only two "new" managers on the opening weekend.
This summer looks like it will be in sharp contrast.
Iraola had been on a list of targets considered by Crystal Palace, who will need a new manager when Oliver Glasner leaves at the end of this season.
It would have been a coup for Palace to land Iraola, but - if he does move to Athletic Club - their sights are likely to turn to Frank, sacked by Spurs in February after only eight months in charge.
Sean Dyche has even been mentioned as a contender for Selhurst Park after he was sacked by Nottingham Forest in February following just 114 days at the helm.
Bournemouth and Palace offer up two certainties of managerial change, but decisions may well have to be made elsewhere depending on events between now and the end of the season.
Arne Slot's future as Liverpool head coach has been the subject of speculation after the club's struggles this season [Getty Images]
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's future has been a constant source of speculation, but he has not yet made any decision and has one year left on his current contract.
Clarity is likely to come at the end of the season, with Guardiola's current focus fixed on the tantalising prospect of a domestic treble, having won the Carabao Cup, closing in ominously on leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and with an FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Southampton on the horizon.
Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea in January after previously working under Guardiola at City, has been touted as a possible replacement, as has Xabi Alonso - but there is no vacancy and it currently looks like normal service is being resumed at Etihad Stadium as they hit top gear.
Will this shape Guardiola's thinking?
Alonso's name has been at the centre of the speculation surrounding Arne Slot's future at Liverpool as the Dutch head coach falls from grace after winning the league in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool's title defence this term has flatlined, despite a staggering spending spree of £450m last summer, while many fans have become disenchanted with Slot's decisions and style of football.
The 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City drew much criticism but Liverpool remain in the Champions League places - which could be the key to whether Slot stays at Anfield.
There appears to be continued support for Slot within Liverpool's hierarchy at this stage, with understanding of mitigating circumstances such as the death of much-loved striker Diogo Jota in a car crash in July, plus a catalogue of injuries, allied to the rapid decline in form of previously peerless forward Mohamed Salah.
If Liverpool make next season's Champions League, which is still a very real possibility, this will increase Slot's chances of survival, but if they do not the man who performed so smoothly and with success last season, may well be on thin ice.
The availability of Alonso, still adored by Liverpool fans after a stellar playing career at Anfield, and with a Bundesliga triumph as Bayer Leverkusen coach on his CV before his short spell at Real Madrid, adds another factor to the equation.
Will Manchester United appoint Michael Carrick as their permanent manager? [Getty Images]
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Old Trafford cohorts must decide whether to give Michael Carrick the manager's job on a permanent basis or look elsewhere.
Carrick has guided United into the Champions League qualification places impressively, but suffered the first home loss of his time in charge against Leeds United on Monday.
Ratcliffe recently praised Carrick's work since he succeeded Ruben Amorim, another victim of January's managerial cull, but when pressed on the possibility of him taking full-time control said: "Not going there."
The World Cup may yet play a part in some clubs' thinking.
If the highly rated Julian Nagelsmann, currently Germany coach, comes on the market after the World Cup, would United be tempted?
It appears Thomas Tuchel, who has previously held talks with United, is out of the running after extending his contract to be England head coach - but good results at a World Cup can make things change.
Liam Rosenior was a graduate from Chelsea's multi-club ownership model when he left Strasbourg to replace Maresca.
The 41-year-old may well be one for the future, but he increasingly looks like someone being asked to take their driving test at the wheel of a Ferrari.
Rosenior drew widespread scorn when he said Chelsea's players performed a pre-match huddle before the game against Newcastle United, farcically surrounding referee Paul Tierney in the process, to "respect the ball".
Chelsea went on to lose the game and matters have not improved since, exiting the Champions League to holders Paris St-Germain as well going down 3-0 in subsequent Premier League games to Everton and Manchester City.
The Stamford Bridge hierarchy has placed its faith in Rosenior, but with discontent among supporters increasing, along with poor results and performances, he must hope the club hold their nerve and keep faith in him.
On Tyneside, Eddie Howe has been under increasing scrutiny despite leading Newcastle United to their first domestic trophy in 70 years - and their first silverware of any kind in 56 years - last season when they beat Liverpool to win the Carabao Cup.
He also took Newcastle back into the Champions League, but this season has turned sour and Howe is another manager whose fate may hinge on what happens in the rest of the campaign.
It is clear the £125m sale of striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool had huge knock-on effects, not least because the £69m signing of Germany striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and the £55m paid to Brentford for Yoane Wissa has, so far, been money badly spent.
The sign of a panic-stricken summer, overshadowed by the Isak saga, can be seen in the fact Newcastle's first offer for Wissa, before eventually paying £55m, was just £25m.
Howe has suffered criticism from fans who previously worshipped him as the Magpies went out 8-3 on aggregate to Barcelona in the Champions League and then lost a home league derby to Sunderland, giving the Black Cats a double over their fierce rivals.
It has meant talk about Howe's future is a live conversation, despite his superb work.
Howe is always well attuned to the feelings of supporters, insisting he would never outstay his welcome, and Newcastle are currently 14th in the Premier League.
Chief executive David Hopkinson hardly threw a bucket of cold water on the speculation with an interview in March when he said Newcastle "were not looking to make a change at the moment".
Howe still has the club's support - and he will also have a key part to play when decisions are made at the end of this season.
But whatever happens in Newcastle, it looks set to be a frantic summer in the managerial market.
Andoni Iraola left Bournemouth to pursue a potential return to Athletic Club in Bilbao, where he previously played.
Iraola's departure contributes to the ongoing managerial churn in the Premier League, indicating more changes are likely this summer.
Before Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth was managed by Gary O'Neil, who was sacked in June 2023.
Andoni Iraola managed Bournemouth for less than a year, having taken over in June 2023.
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