Cherry Picking - The Six Managers Bournemouth Should Turn to After Iraola’s Departure

Cherry Picking - The Six Managers Bournemouth Should Turn to After Iraola’s Departure

Managerial Blog

Cherry Picking - The Six Managers Bournemouth Should Turn to After Iraola’s Departure

Andoni Iraola announced yesterday that he will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season. The Spanish manager joined the Cherries in June 2023 and led Bournemouth to their best ever points tally in the Premier League with 56 points.

What it means now for the south coast club is a scramble to try and appoint a manager who can fill the boots of Iraola. Football Park looks at some of the names being linked with the Bournemouth managerial role.

Marco Rose

The former RB Leipzig manager is believed to be the man and the top of Bournemouth's shortlist. Marco Rose was sacked by the German club back in March 2025 but does have a similar aggressive style of play to that of Iraola.

The 49-year-old has Champions League experience as well as dealing with the pressures of managing a top flight team. These are all valuable attributes Bournemouth’s hierarchy will be taking into consideration as they look to push for European football.

Kieran McKenna

The current Ipswich Town boss has yet again been linked to another managerial vacancy in the Premier League. Kieran McKenna has been with the Tractor Boys since December 2021, however I feel if Ipswich fail to get promoted back to the top flight, the 39-year-old could move clubs.

There’s no doubting that McKenna is highly rated by several teams, however if his side were to participate in the play-offs, it would certainly rule out the possibility of a swift managerial appointment.

McKenna’s back-to-back promotions with Ipswich in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons from League One to the Premier League highlight his ability. However he is still an unproven manager with a stable top flight club, but are Bournemouth willing to take that rise?

Eddie Howe

Now I’m sure this would go down well with the majority of Bournemouth supporters. The current Newcastle United manager has received a lot of pressure this season as the Magpies have massively underperformed in the league this campaign.

Sitting in 14th place Eddie Howe’s side are an outside shot for European football as they are five points adrift of Brentford in seventh position. All of this could mean that the stars align perfectly for the 48-year-old to return to the Cherries.

Thomas Frank

Despite his time with Spurs coming to a sour end in February, Thomas Frank’s time at Brentford can’t be forgotten. He led Brentford back to the top division in the English footballing pyramid in the 2020/21 campaign, ending a 74 year wait.

The Danish manager fits the profile of an aggressive and proactive style of play. In addition, Frank could be one of those managers that is suited to job outside of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ as there is less pressure and spotlight on your every move.

However with the trajectory that the Cherries are currently moving in, is appointing Frank as their next manager the best move to help them achieve European football and challenge for silverware?

Frank Lampard

Moving from one Frank to another now as Frank Lampard has also been linked with the vacancy at Bournemouth. The current Coventry City boss has all but confirmed his side’s promotion with four games of their Championship season remaining.

Although I think it would be hard to convince Lampard to leave Coventry considering he will most likely win the league with therefore securing promotion. Being the manager to coach the club’s first season back in the top flight in over two decades would be a hard proposal for the 47-year-old to turn down.

Ange Postecoglou

Yet another Spurs boss has been linked with the Bournemouth job, and this time it’s Ange Postecoglou. The former Spurs and Nottingham Forest manager has been without a job since his sacking as the Reds coach in October 2025.

The 60-year-old would receive a whole pre-season campaign with the Cherries, something that would suit the Australian's plans as he would be able to implement his style of play across the course of the summer.

Charlie Stevens
Charlie Stevens Content Writer

Charlie Stevens - Content Writer at Football Park

Charlie Stevens is a football journalist who looks to deliver engaging and insightful articles to passionate football fans. He has been a journalist at Football Park for over six months, implementing the skills and qualities he has picked up throughout his early career into his articles.

Despite being one of the younger members in the Football Park family, Charlie has acquired experience writing for the Non-League Football Paper as well as writing match reports for AFC Totton's club website.

Whether it's exploring the heights of the Premier League or delving to the depths of non-league football, Charlie has the ability to resonate with supporters from across the football pyramid. This trait combines his industry standard skills with the ability to connect with fans, providing analytical articles for fans to read.

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