Tottenham Hotspur are pushing ahead with plans to hire Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola.
That's according to a report following the Lilywhites' 15th Premier League defeat of the season at the weekend, away to Fulham. Ange Postecoglou's side are now winless in their last three, finding themselves 14th in the table.
European football now seems too distant for Tottenham to achieve unless they win the Europa League – but with Eintracht Frankfurt up next, they will have to beat one of the tournament favourites to progress.
Tottenham Hotspur have begun talks to hire Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth
Iraola, ranked at no.32 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, was hired the same summer that Postecoglou arrived at Spurs – but fortunes have been dramatically different for the two bosses.
The Basque boss led Bournemouth to a record points tally last term and the Cherries are on course to improve on that once against this time, needing just four points to equal 2023/24's haul of 48 points – despite their talismanic forward Dominic Solanke becoming Tottenham Hotspur's second-most expensive signing ever last summer.
Now, Fichajes in Spain relay reports from Spanish outlet Estadio Deportivo that state that Spurs have sat up to take note of Iraola's fine progress.
It's claimed that the 42-year-old former Athletic Club defender is the board's favourite to “lead the new project” with talks already underway over replacing Posetecoglou as manager.
Fulham boss Marco Silva is apparently an option, too, for the north Londoners. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are already looking to try and convince Iraola to stay, as per talkSPORT.
FourFourTwo understands that Iraola has no intention of leaving Dorset midseason – especially with the hunt for European football still underway – but this summer, he will be one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe.
With plenty of European giants eyeing managerial changes over the summer, Spurs may well have to act early to secure their first-choice target. In 2023, Postecoglou was a backup option behind the likes of Arne Slot – and chairman Daniel Levy will be keen not to repeat history.
Tottenham return to Premier League action on April 3 when they travel to Chelsea for a London derby.
