Bournemouth have moved swiftly to replace outgoing manager Gary O'Neil with Spanish boss Andoni Iraola taking charge at Dean Court inside less than 24 hours.
The Cherries' decision to sack O'Neil came as a shock to the majority of Cherries fans after the former midfielder steered them away from Premier League relegation trouble with a strong finish to the 2022/23 season.
However, the arrival of Iraola is viewed as the club taking the next step in a revamp led by the new ownership of Bill Foley's Black Knight Football Club.
Foley is looking to build Bournemouth into a solid Premier League outfit and the arrival of Iraola is likely to be the first of numerous changes at the club this summer.
MORE: Premier League fixtures: Complete schedule, dates, times for every 2023/24 EPL match
Who is Andoni Iraola?
Iraola's playing career saw the Basque defender rise through the ranks of Athletic Club, before making 406 appearances at the Bilbao giants from 2003 to 2015.
After a brief stint in MLS with New York City FC, he retired in 2016 before being appointed as head coach of Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in June 2018.
However, his time in Cyprus was a tough learning curve as he was sacked six months later following a poor run of form.
He opted to return to Spain and took charge of second-tier side Mirandes in July 2019, but despite leading the club to the Copa del Rey semifinals he could not seal promotion and left at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Rayo Vallecano opted to take a chance on him ahead of the 2020/21 season following Paco Jemez's exit and he hit the ground running in Vallecas.
Promotion back to La Liga via the playoffs capped a brilliant first season for Iraola as the fervent Rayo fans hailed his impact. They finished 12th in the top flight in 2021/22.
Despite the ongoing civil war between the Rayo supporters and their controversial club president Raul Martin Presa, Iraola led the charge for a European qualification push in 2022/23.
As Rayo eventually slipped out of the reckoning for a European spot, Iraola confirmed he would leave when his contract expired in June and he departs the club on the back of memorable wins over Real Madrid and Barcelona last season.
Andoni Iraola clubs manager, record, trophies
Iraola has not won a major trophy as a manager, with his sole title coming via the Cypriot Super Cup in 2018. He also achieved Copa del Rey semifinals with Mirandes and Rayo.
| Club | Dates Managed | Win Ratio |
| AEK Larnaca | May 2018 - Jan 2019 | 41.3% |
| Mirandes | July 2019 - July 2020 | 36.7% |
| Rayo Vallecano | August 2020 - June 2023 | 39.7% |
Andoni Iraola Leeds United links
Premier League fans may be familiar with Iraola following Leeds United's failed approach to bring him to Elland Road after Jesse Marsch's departure in February.
Iraola was rumoured to be Leeds' first choice to replace Marsch, but he turned down their offer as he did not want to break his contract mid-season with Rayo.
Leeds were tipped to renew their interest in him this summer, alongside fellow relegated side Southampton, but Iraola kept his options open to secure a Premier League job.
Why did Bournemouth sack Gary O'Neil
Bournemouth's call to remove O'Neil appears like a ruthless move by the club's hierarchy as he performed superbly to keep the Cherries away from relegation in 2023.
After replacing Scott Parker following a 9-0 loss at Liverpool, O'Neil looked to have taken on an impossible job at Dean Court.
However, despite his lack of experience, he rallied the team to fight their way out of the bottom three and towards safety in the closing weeks of the season as Leicester City, Leeds and Southampton dropped through the trap door.
Bournemouth thanked O'Neil for his rescue act in 2022/23 but the club believe the profile of Iraola is better suited to their future plans.
"This has been a difficult decision," stated Foley in a statement.
"It has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season. Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment, a change is in the best interests of the club."
Are Bournemouth in the Premier League?
Bournemouth will be playing Premier League football in 2023/24, due in no small part to O'Neil's efforts last season, with their opening fixture a home tie against West Ham on August 12.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streamed exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
India: Star Sports network has the rights to show Premier League matches in India. As well as an English broadcast on Star Sports Select, select matches will be available via regional feeds on Star Sports 3 (in Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam), Star Sports 1 (Bangla) and Star Sports 1 (Tamil).
