‘Andoni Iraola could face Bournemouth sack’ in ‘shock’ twist
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola could find himself under “shock” pressure early next season if the club continue to lose key players.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Spaniard will be made to shoulder the blame for any dip in form.
Dean Huijsen joined Real Madrid earlier in the window, while Milos Kerkez is now expected to make his much-anticipated move to Liverpool.
On top of that, Football Insider revealed that Bournemouth are braced to lose Ilya Zabarnyi to Paris Saint-Germain, and Antoine Semenyo is wanted by Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Brown told Football Insider on 19 June that Justin Kluivert could quit Bournemouth as Bayer Leverkusen view him as a replacement for Florian Wirtz.
Brown explained that losing up to five key players will set up a difficult season for the Cherries as they now need to sign five top players just to stand still.
Andoni Iraola faces Bournemouth pressure amid mass exodus
Iraola has emerged as one of the most highly-regarded managers in the Premier League this season, and was heavily linked with the Tottenham job.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience working closely with top-level managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Ron Atkinson and David Moyes, insisted that while there is plenty of good will towards Iraola, the manager could now come under pressure.
“Bournemouth did remarkably well this season,” he told Football Insider.
“The manager has done a brilliant job, but all of a sudden they’re being picked apart.
“They’ve lost Huijsen and Kerkez, and then there’s talks about Semenyo, Zabarnyi and now Kluivert.
“I feel sorry for them because they’ve got to sign four or five top players just to stand still.
“It’s difficult to replace that many players with others of the same quality, and because of that you find you’re having a real drop in performances.
“You go into the start of a new season, lose a couple of games, and the pressure is on.
“I’ll say again, the manager has done a terrific job there and he’s earned a lot of good will, so it might be a shock but that’s quickly forgotten when you start losing games.
“In my experience, the blame for that is always directed towards the manager.
“He’s the one that has to face the pressure from fans and the media and then ultimately the board.
“It’s difficult for any manager when you lose so many instrumental players, but the board won’t think about it like that, they expect to win games.
“It’s a very tough situation for him and it’s a real shame.”
Paris Saint-Germain close in on Ilya Zabarnyi agreement
Amid a potential exodus from Bournemouth this summer, Champions League winners PSG are still pushing towards a deal to sign Zabarnyi.
Football Insider revealed on 18 June that Bournemouth will demand £50million for Zabarnyi as they do not plan to budge on their asking price.
After losing Zabarnyi, Kerkez, and Kepa Arrizabalaga from last season’s starting XI, the Ukrainians exit would come as another huge blow to the Cherries.
This comes after Brown told Football Insider that PSG will reach an agreement with Bournemouth as the defender is keen to make the move.
Harvey Elliott reacts to Jarell Quansah’s message as Liverpool exit gets green light
Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott’s time as Liverpool team-mates looks set to come to an end after their exploits for England Under-21s.
Liverpool have been busy in the transfer market as Arne Slot bids to maintain their momentum from last season’s Premier League success, which saw the Reds canter to their 20th title with four games to play.
Jeremie Frimpong’s arrival provides Liverpool with an immediate replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, while his Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Florian Wirtz has also signed for a club-record fee.
Elliott struggled for consistent game-time last season with just two Premier League starts among his 28 appearances in all competitions, and Wirtz‘s arrival will push him even further down the pecking order.
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