Andoni Iraola was tapped on Thursday to be the new manager of Liverpool, which turned to the former Bournemouth coach whose intense and heavy-pressing playing approach resembles the ideology that brought the team so much success under former Anfield favorite Jurgen Klopp.
The 43-year-old Spaniard, who has signed a deal for an undisclosed length, left his job at Bournemouth at the end of the recently completed season after a three-year spell that boosted his reputation.
The unheralded south-coast team finished sixth in the Premier League, going unbeaten in their last 18 games, and qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.
Iraola replaces Arne Slot, who was fired by Liverpool last Saturday following a troubled second year in charge after emulating the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte by winning the Premier League title in his first season. That took Liverpool to a record-tying 20 English league championships.
Iraola said he was joining "a special club."
