Bournemouth’s highly-rated Spanish boss Andoni Iraola will leave the club at the end of the season on the expiration of his current contract.
The former Rayo Vallecano boss has earned many plaudits for the job he has done with the Cherries since replacing Gary O’Neil at the helm of the south coast in the summer of 2023. Iraola guided the Cherries to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League table in season 2024/25, earning a club record-breaking 56 points.
Thank you for everything, Andoni ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LpHEgaLx0N
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) April 14, 2026
Bournemouth are also still in contention for European football for next season, with just six games remaining in the Premier League campaign, so the announcement is a major blow.
Iraola is being heavily linked with a return to his homeland with Athletic Club in the summer, whose own boss, Ernesto Valverde, will leave his position at the end of the campaign. Iraola featured in over 500 games for the Basque outfit during his playing career.
Many high-profile bosses have been linked with Bournemouth as Iraola’s replacement. The likes of former Dortmund boss Marco Rose and Ipswich’s highly regarded head coach Kieran McKenna have been heavily backed to take the position.
However, one of the more potentially intriguing names in the running for the position is a name highly familiar to Premier League fans of a certain vintage, former Tottenham and Republic of Ireland forward Robbie Keane.
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Keane made a name for himself during his playing days by scoring over 250 goals for club and country. In fact, he remains Ireland’s top goalscorer, having scored 68 goals during his playing career.
While the 45-year-old enjoyed an impressive playing career, in recent years he has begun to forge a promising coaching career. Keane’s first managerial stint was a short spell in charge of Indian ATK as player-manager in 2018, which lasted just three games before he decided to leave the club.
His next staff roles came as assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland, Middlesbrough and Leeds United. However, Keane returned as a head coach with the Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv in the summer of 2023.
Not only did Keane guide Maccabi to the domestic league title, but also to the last 16 of the Conference League, only to suffer defeat to eventual winners Olympiakos. Despite success in his sole season in Israel, he decided to step down from his role, reportedly due to off-field issues.
Keane returned to the head coach role in January 2024, this time with Hungarian giants Ferencváros. Once again, the Irishman was a success, guiding the club to the domestic title in the 2024/25 season, and in the 2025/26 season, he took the team into the knockout stages of the Europa League, something the club hadn’t achieved since the 1970s.
His time with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ferencváros has illustrated Keane’s managerial acumen, and he is considered one of the brightest young head coaches in the European game.
No doubt the former Spurs forward would be an interesting appointment for Bournemouth. However, according to Scottish publication the Daily Record, the Cherries would face competition from reigning SPL champions Celtic for Keane’s signature, with experienced interim boss Martin O’Neill expected to leave the club in the summer.
Keane has previously stated that he is open to leaving Hungary. However, any move would have to be seen as a step forward. Keane is the current favourite to be the next Hoops boss.
With the Ferencváros boss so in demand, it remains to be seen if he will be Iraola’s replacement. However, if he is, he will arguably face far greater scrutiny than he did in his previous jobs, which will be a true test of his managerial skills.