Richard Hughes spoke to Andoni Iraola a week before firing 'shocked' Arne Slot from Liverpool

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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesLiverpool FCAndoni Iraola was installed as Liverpool's new head coach on Thursday following Arne Slot's dismissal, and the Spaniard is well known by Reds sporting director Richard HughesLiverpool sporting director Richard Hughes(Image: 2025 Robin Jones)Richard Hughes spoke to Andoni Iraola before the end of the Premier League season, when Arne Slot was still in his position as Liverpool's head coach.That's according to a report by The Athletic, which says that there is no indication that Hughes and Iraola discussed the Liverpool job at the time. Hughes and Iraola know each other well from their time together at Bournemouth, with Hughes having played a key role in bringing Iraola to the Premier League in 2023, and the pair spoke informally during the final week of this season.Liverpool is adamant that the decision to relieve Slot of his duties was not taken until after an end-of-season review was conducted.

Hughes and Michael Edwards are reported to have recommended a managerial change to Liverpool's owners on Friday, May 29, and they were given the green light to do so.Hughes was the man responsible for breaking the news to Slot the following day.Slot is said to have been shocked by the decision as he thought Champions League qualification would have been enough to keep him in the job heading into next season.There were obvious mitigating factors to Liverpool's underperformance across the campaign, but Hughes and Edwards took the view that the situation was too far gone and that a change would be for the best.Iraola flew into Liverpool from San Sebastian on a private jet on Thursday morning to put the finishing touches on a two-year contract, and after spending a few hours at the AXA Training Center, he returned to San Sebastian.Andoni Iraola was confirmed as Liverpool's new head coach on Thursday(Image: 2026 Liverpool FC)Iraola was unveiled by Liverpool later that day, with negotiations – which were led by Hughes – having gone smoothly over the previous few days.Iraola conducted an interview with club media before returning to Spain, in which he expressed his excitement at taking over at Anfield."Really excited, really excited, because obviously you know about Liverpool, you know that it's a big club, a massive club, one of the biggest in the world," Iraola said."But feeling inside and understanding a little bit more of this club, I always thought it's a special club."Not about the football side, also because what people think about even during the week, how they are passionate about the club and everyone, the ones who like football, the ones that probably are not as interested."But I have some experience with Athletic Club [as a player] that I could in some ways familiarise, but it's going to be fun to experience it from the inside."Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCAndoni IraolaArne Slot