Liverpool need a successful summer transfer window to usher in the type of football Andoni Iraola’s footballing philosophy, and the Spaniard is taking a patient approach to recruitment.
As a head coach, as opposed to a manager, Iraola isn’t actually that involved in recruitment. Historically, he’s been reported as being the type of coach who prefers to be quite hands-off when it comes to signing new players, allowing his sporting or technical director to handle it.
Iraola has previously indicated he is comfortable in a recruitment model led by club executives, saying at Bournemouth that while he gives his opinion on transfer targets, he does not have ‘the final say,’ so to speak.
In June 2024, Iraola effectively admitted he was consulted regarding transfers at Bournemouth rather than guiding the recruitment process, telling journalists: “I give my opinion, obviously, but I don’t have the final say.”
This fits FSG’s preference for leaving recruitment to Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes quite nicely. It’s even better when you consider how well acquainted Hughes and Iraola are after their close working relationship at Bournemouth. This is essentially why the Spaniard was appointed so quickly after Arne Slot was sacked.
Liverpool set to bide their time with player recruitment this summer due to multiple factors
In the summer of 2025, Liverpool raced into the market to sign Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, snatching them away from Bayern Munich and Newcastle United, respectively.
Reporting in the latest instalment of his Transfer Deal Sheet series for The Athletic, James Pearce has shed some light on how Liverpool and FSG will approach the summer transfer this time around.
He wrote: “There’s an acceptance internally that, due to the World Cup and Andoni Iraola’s desire to assess the talent he’s inherited in the early stages of pre-season, business is more likely to happen later in the window this time around.”
Liverpool are heavily linked with a move to sign Ivory Coast superstar Yan Diomande, but with his involvement at the World Cup, the challenge of rival interest from PSG and RB Leipzig’s huge asking price, it’s not a deal that will be wrapped up imminently.
