Andoni Iraola will be desperate to avoid Arne Slot repeat after latest summer of Liverpool upheaval
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The biggest season of Andoni Iraola's managerial career awaits in 2026-27, and the new Liverpool boss will be hoping it goes something like Arne Slot's first, but nothing like his lastAndoni Iraola's first summer at Liverpool could be crucialAndoni Iraola inherits a Liverpool team facing another summer of change in 2026, with plenty of high-profile departures hogging the headlines.Most notable of those is undoubtedly Mohamed Salah, who leaves Anfield after nine years, cutting short his contract at the end of last season, while defensive duo Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate are also notable departures.On Friday, it was announced Michael Edwards had quit as football chief for Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group, while there are suggestions that sporting director Richard Hughes, who is in charge of the club's transfer business, could follow him out the door once the summer window closes.Given Liverpool's mightily disappointing campaign in 2025-26, it also wouldn't be a surprise to see a couple of first-team stars moved on to pastures new, with the likes of midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and forward Cody Gakpo already being linked with moves away.It is a situation that bears striking similarities to 12 months ago, when Arne Slot also waved goodbye to several major figures from his title-winning squad, including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz.There was also the devastating passing of Diogo Jota to contend with, while Liverpool splashed the cash on major reinforcements to the squad, such as Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and, eventually, Alexander Isak.A disastrous 2025-26 campaign ultimately cost Arne Slot his job as Liverpool head coach(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)The Reds were pre-season favorites to retain their title and win the Premier League once more, having assembled what appeared to be a superteam on paper, but in the end, nothing went to plan.Putting on one of the worst title defenses in Premier League history, Liverpool finished 5th, failed to win any silverware, and eventually sacked Slot at the end of the season.While there is no doubting the impact of Jota 's death on the squad, Liverpool's shortcomings in 2025-26 were primarily put down to the number of changes on the field, with too much tampering with a title-winning team proving costly.With several departures already this summer and a number of new signings expected, the Reds run the risk of repeating history in 2026-27, even if there is no title to defend this time around.Michael Edwards (R) has quit as FSG's CEO of football, while sporting director Richard Hughes (L) could soon follow him out the door(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)The job is already big enough for Iraola, so he will be desperately hoping there is no repeat of certain events from 12 months ago.What doesn't help the Spaniard is that he will be under pressure to perform at Anfield from day one after succeeding Slot this summer, according to Liverpool legend Ray Houghton."If winning the Premier League title in your first season and finishing fifth in your second isn’t enough, then if Iraola doesn’t make a strong start, there will be a lot of doubts — he'll be under pressure from day one," Houghton told Liverpool.com.