The Result Under The Result
The 43-year-old Spaniard has signed a deal with Liverpool after leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season, marking his move to one of English football's biggest clubs.
Iraola takes over a team undergoing significant change. The departures of Salah and Andy Robertson mean Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker are now the only remaining senior figures from the side that won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following year under Klopp.
The numbers are doing most of the announcement work here, which is usually how teams prefer it.
The Useful Context
"I'm joining a special club," Iraola said. "The atmosphere, the supporters, the players, the chance to coach top-level players and fight for titles—it cannot be more attractive than this."
He leaves Bournemouth after a three-year spell that elevated his reputation. The south-coast club finished sixth in the Premier League, going unbeaten in its last 18 games and qualifying for Europe for the first time in its history.
The Part Still Unclear
The new manager has never won a major trophy, nor balanced the demands of elite domestic and European competitions. That will change soon enough.
Iraola becomes the latest coach from Spain's Basque region to take charge of a top English club, following Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Unai Emery at Aston Villa and most recently Xabi Alonso at Chelsea.