- Bournemouth confirm Iraola exit
- Palace remain interested
- Strong competition from Spain
Crystal Palace target Andoni Iraola will leave Bournemouth this summer. The Cherries confirmed in a club statement, following an exclusive reveal from David Ornstein that Iraola would depart the club upon the expiry of his contract.
Palace’s hopes of landing the Spaniard as an Oliver Glasner replacement had begun to dwindle when it appeared he would stay put at Bournemouth, but this latest twist will have Palace hoping they can make a push to convince him that South London is the next place to go.
South London or Sunny Spain
As reported earlier this week, Palace have been interested in Iraola for some time, and a story from Alan Nixon suggested that he would be interested in speaking to Palace about his future.
However, the work Iraola has done at Bournemouth has raised eyebrows across the footballing world, and there are a multitude of jobs either available or likely to become so this Summer.
None more appealing, you’d imagine, than the head coach role at Athletic Club De Bilbao, the club where Iraola played over 500 games. Ernesto Valverde is leaving his position in the summer, and one would imagine the emotional draw for Iraola to return to the Basque Country would be difficult to dismiss.
The general sense from his Bournemouth departure is that he has taken the South Coast club as far as he can. This would suggest that he is aiming higher than a mid-table Premier League side, which Palace, of course, are. However, with the prospect of a second consecutive season competing in Europe, and with Glasner bowing out with another trophy, the project may be convincing enough for Iraola.
There is no doubting the fact that Palace are a bigger club than the Cherries, but Iraola has likely earned himself a chance at a club consistently competing either for the top four in a major league or in the top level of European football.
Palace Have a Dream to Sell
If they are to attract Iraola to South London, Palace will have to both make and keep some big promises.
A move to SE25 doesn’t necessarily feel out of place in Iraola’s managerial trajectory, but the competition that is almost guaranteed to arise for his signature will mean Palace must act fast.
This will be a big test for the club’s ownership and sporting director. In the past, Dougie Freedman has been the key persuader on both player and managerial appointments. Many big signings have referenced ‘speaking to Dougie’ as a key part of their pre-Palace conversations.
Matt Hobbs and Steve Parish will have their work cut out for them to match Dougie’s level of persuasion and charm, but it’s important that the project is realistic.
A major catalyst for Glasner’s fallout with the club has been the boardroom’s actions failing to align with previous conversations, promises, and his vision as a manager.
The public outbursts will have caught the attention of everyone in the footballing world, and could cause some trepidation from potential managers who are not 100% set on the club.
Iraola would want guarantees. If Palace can provide them to him, and offer the level of project and football that he requires, this may be a coup Palace are capable of pulling off.
