Iraola To Reach The Very Top After Transforming Bournemouth, Adams Says

Andoni Iraola is entering his final week as Bournemouth head coach after lifting the club to new levels in the Premier League, with the team currently sixth and close to a record points tally, while Tyler Adams believes Iraola will manage at the highest level next.

Bournemouth now face a home match against Manchester City before travelling to Nottingham Forest, fixtures that will close Iraola’s three-year spell on the south coast, with former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose already lined up to replace Iraola in the dugout.

Across three Premier League campaigns at the Vitality Stadium, Iraola has guided Bournemouth to finish 12th in 2023-24 and ninth in 2024-25, and the team sit sixth ahead of the final two games, with just two more points needed to set a new club record points total for a third straight season.

Iraola has collected 41 wins from 112 Premier League fixtures with Bournemouth since taking charge, and only six managers have recorded more victories in that period, namely Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta with 72 each, Unai Emery with 57, Eddie Howe with 52, and Arne Slot and Marco Silva with 42 apiece.

Iraola has attracted interest from several major clubs since confirming plans to leave Bournemouth, although many high-profile posts appear close to being taken, with Chelsea set to appoint Xabi Alonso, Manchester United expected to offer Michael Carrick a permanent contract and Real Madrid nearing a deal to rehire Jose Mourinho.

Bayer Leverkusen have also been mentioned as a possible future destination for Iraola, particularly with Kasper Hjulmand anticipated to depart, though no agreement has been reported, leaving speculation over Iraola’s next role as Bournemouth prepare for a new chapter under Marco Rose after this Premier League campaign.

Adams, who became one of Iraola’s first signings at Bournemouth in 2023 and has since been central to Iraola’s tactical plans, offered a personal view of the coach’s influence in an interview with ESPN, saying: "I'll miss him a ton. I mean, he's a great guy, a great person. Football aside, just the conversations that we have and how he's helped me as a player and a person... I knew from the first moment that I spoke to him when I was switching clubs and coming here that his ideas fit the way that I wanted to play. I didn't think that it was going to translate this well, and I was going to play such an important role in the way that we do things. So yeah, he's an incredible manager. He's going to coach big teams whenever he wants to take that next step or where he's going to go. It will be interesting, but he's amazing. He's really changed the direction of the club and taken it to new heights."

Adams has stressed that the impact of Iraola’s work at Bournemouth should not be understated, describing how Iraola’s ideas matched Adams’ style, how Adams grew as both player and person under Iraola, and how the United States international expects Iraola to move on to elite teams after leaving the Premier League club.

Iraola’s departure marks the end of a three-year period in which Bournemouth climbed the Premier League table, improved their points total each season and gained recognition for competitive performances, leaving Rose to inherit a squad shaped by Iraola’s methods and Adams convinced that the coach’s next job will be at the very top level.