Credit: talkSPORT/Imago

Chris Smith

Thu 31 July 2025 15:44, UK

Bournemouth have been warned about the possibility of losing manager Andoni Iraola early into the upcoming Premier League season.

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Iraola has performed brilliantly since taking to the Vitality Stadium dugout in the summer of 2023, leading the Cherries to 12th and ninth-place finishes in the Premier League.

But it’s been a challenging summer so far for the Spaniard, who has seen star defenders Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez sold to Real Madrid and Liverpool, respectively.

Iraola’s achievements on the South Coast have also made him a manager in demand, with Tottenham targeting him as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement before eventually deciding to hire Thomas Frank.

Iraola is a manager in demand (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)

Though he didn’t go to Tottenham, Iraola — who has just one year left on his contract — will continue to be linked with a move away from Bournemouth, especially if he continues to return quality performances in the face of losing key players.

Former Premier League manager Alan Pardew has warned the Cherries about the risk they face of losing their manager — predicting some early sackings in the Premier League this season that could open a vacancy for Iraola.

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“It’s very hard to repeat a season like they had,” Pardew said live on talkSPORT (31 July).

“The difficulty for them is holding on to the manager.

If there was a sacking early in the Premier League season, he’s going to be top of the list of most clubs, I would have thought, after the job he’s done there.

“There are a lot of things that could go wrong for Bournemouth, and they’ve certainly got to do some work in the window.”

The Bournemouth boss will be hoping to show his qualities once again Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media

Having already lost Huijsen and Kerkez this summer, Bournemouth are still facing the very real possibility of their next key defender, Illya Zabarnyi, also leaving the club.

Tottenham Hotspur are understood to be keen admirers of the Ukraine international, who is second on their shortlist behind Marc Guehi.

However, Palace captain Guehi is thought to have his heart set on a move to Liverpool, meaning Spurs may be disappointed in their pursuit.

Should that be the case, they will likely make a move for Zabarnyi as they seek quality cover and competition for Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven — who both suffered injury problems last season, while the former has been linked with Real Madrid.



2024/25 Premier League statsIllya ZabarnyiAppearances36Minutes played3,113Goals0Assists1Tackles won36Interceptions41Fouls committed20Aerial duels won77Pass completion %82.5%Illya Zabarnyi’s 2024/25 Premier League stats (FotMob)

Bournemouth have signed Adrien Truffert to replace Kerkez, while Djordje Petrovic replaces Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal after the Spaniard’s loan expired.

However, Iraola is yet to capture a new centre-back, so losing Zabarnyi at this stage would be a hammerblow to the Cherries’ hopes of replicating their top-half finish from last season.

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