Celtic’s 2023 managerial contender leaves Bournemouth but ship has sailed

April 14, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Andoni Iraola has confirmed that he will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season. The 43-year-old Basque manager has impressed since taking over with the Premier League outfit, turning the team into an attacking side playing attractive football.

After the weekend’s win over title contenders Arsenal, there had been speculation about the possibility of someone coming in for Iraola. Manchester United are in the market for a new manager and there is speculation that Man City and Chelsea could look to make a managerial change in the summer.

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Iraola has been linked with Bilbao side Athletic Club, who are expected to make a move for the standout manager and their former player. Iraola made 510 appearances for Lehoiak and they’re in the hunt for a new manager. Edin Terzic is thought to be the frontrunner to succeed Ernesto Valverde.

Now, Iraola will have significant interest in his signature, especially given the body of work at Bournemouth since he joined the club in 2023. There was a sliding doors moment that summer with both Iraola and Enzo Maresca eyed for the vacancy at Celtic Park.

With Ange Postecoglou heading to Spurs, Treble winning Celtic scouted the managerial markets and looked for a suitable contender to replace Ange. This resulted in a move to rehire Brendan Rodgers, which saw four out of six trophies but resulted in a lot of negative feeling, which has intensified given the club’s poor displays in the transfer market and on the pitch.

There has been some suggestion that Celtic could make a move for Iraola but that ship has sailed, much like Maresca. Iraola will be looking to move up the footballing ladder and whilst Celtic is still an impressive opportunity for managers, Iraola’s stock is high and a move to a top club will be high on his agenda.

There are some positives to take from both of Celtic’s managerial targets, that didn’t get the job, enjoying success. Hopefully, the next man in the Celtic dugout can enjoy significant success. The Bournemouth vacancy also may have ramifications for Celtic as candidates like Marco Rose, Ange and Kieran McKenna all touted with the job.

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