Bournemouth have been busy today, announcing the shock sacking of Gary O’Neil and sudden appointment of Andoni Iraola; a man Eddie Howe knows more than most.
Following Howe’s dismissal at Bournemouth, it’s well documented that he spent 15 months working on his knowledge of the game. In this time, he studied Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid and picked the brains of former Liverpool recruitment star Michael Edwards, but also spent time with Rayo Vallecano.
During this trip, he met with Iraola; a player-turned-coach who has seen his career follow a similar path to Howe’s, guiding Vallecano to promotion before helping them punch above their weight in La Liga on a tight budget.
The 39-year-old was then invited to St James’ Park for a mid-season friendly last year, as we ran out 2-1 winners against his Madrid-based side in December 2022.
Just over six months later, Iraola has landed a Premier League job of his own, joining Howe’s former club following O’Neil’s sudden dismissal on Monday. You’d imagine the Spaniard called Eddie for a few words of advice before accepting the job!
Speaking to The Mail, here’s what the former Bilbao star had to say about his meeting with Eddie Howe during his time away from management in 2021:
“We spent a lot of time talking and exchanging ideas and learning from each other. But above all, I was learning from him because he has lots of experience in the Premier League which for me is very valuable.
“We spoke about certain games he had and the best way to approach matches against the top teams. I wanted to learn his methods of training and he made a big impression on me.
“I’m delighted that not long after he got an opportunity with Newcastle and I’m convinced he’s going to do well there. He told me he has been educating himself in this time without a team, analysing many aspects of the game, and I wish him all the best.”
