Liverpool Close In On Iraola

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1:18Hello and welcome into the latest edition of ESPN FC. Kay Murray, Alejandro Moreno and Stevie Nichol here in the studio. And I don't know if you guys have heard, but there is a vacancy for the managerial position at Liverpool to fill. Yes, all is coming after Arna Slott was sacked on Saturdays. We take a look at some of the names that have been touted to be the Dutchman's replacement. But it is very much that name at the top, Andoni Iraiola, who is very much the frontrunner. And if the reports are to be believed as we go to air today, this story continues to develop. Let's welcome in our Liverpool correspondent Beth Lindhoff now to tell us more about this developing situation, Beth.

1:59Yeah, well, I mean, first of all, I'm surprised Stevie's name isn't on that list. How do you know I wasn't contacted, though? Oh, breaking news. Breaking news. But yeah, I think obviously failing that, it's going to be Andoni or Ayola. You know, there is a lot of nuance to the articles that have come out over the past few days, you know, opening talks, progressing in talks, reaching a verbal agreement. But I think ultimately Liverpool have decided that he is their man. I think he has been for a little while. I think they've used someone who was on their radar as potentially becoming Arnaslott's successor at Anfield.

2:48And yeah, it's a big step for him to come from Bournemouth, who he's done a fantastic job with. He's made them an incredibly exciting team to watch. One of the best teams in the Premier League to watch this season. But to go from that to Liverpool, it's a different kettle of fish. Obviously, in terms of the amounts of games that you'll be asked to play, I think it's 48 is a minimum that Liverpool will play next season, which is more than he's ever managed in his top career. So you will have to maybe address some things in terms of workload, that intensity. But I think the main thing that's been impressed upon me and on everyone over the past few days has been that Liverpool really want to bring in someone who plays a more front-footed, attack-minded brand of football on a slot style last season was certainly not that.

3:42So I think for Iola, that's probably the thing that's most in his favour and what is getting fans excited about him moving to Liverpool. Yes, Stevie, I wonder what you think, because obviously there is that excitement to do with the brand of football that he plays. But as Beth said, it is a significant step up for the manager as well. Yes, it is. And there's no getting away from that. but the fact is that the way that Bournemouth played is exactly how Liverpool want to play and want to be seen to be playing and that's what the fans want. They want attacking football. You know, Liverpool previously have had managers that didn't play that way.

4:20Like Rafa Benitez is a perfect example. I didn't particularly like the way Liverpool played under him but he got results, he was successful and so fans will put up with that but when you have the type of squad that Liverpool had and then the type of football that they played with that squad Liverpool fans didn't want to see that anymore on the slot and so we're basically doing we're doing a 360 as Craig would say and we're going with a guy who it's all about attacking football and there is no question it's a 180 I thought Craig said 360 Craig called it a 360 it's a 180 because otherwise we're back at anna slot Whatever number you want.

5:03So, yeah, this is perfect. But, again, as you started with, you can't get away from the fact that moving from a mid-table side, a side that's only real remit is to stay up, to go into one of the juggernaut teams on the planet, is a step up. But there's no reason why he can't get Liverpool players playing the way his Bournemouth team played. Because he's overachieved where he's been so far. He overachieved at Rayo. he overachieved at Bournemouth. So is this a natural progression for the manager himself now? It is a natural progression. He has gone through the steps. Nobody can say that Andoni Iraola hasn't put in the work.

5:40When you see the full screen we just showed and you have the amount of wins that he had with Rayo Vallecano, a team whose goal is mainly to stay up in La Liga to survive, and he made that group so successful that he had a positive record at Rayo Vallecano, it tells you something. It's a similar story to Bournemouth. So it's a step up from Rayo Vallecano to Bournemouth. And you see, again, the evolution and the growth in which you're winning a bunch of games at Rayo Vallecano and you're winning a bunch of games at Bournemouth. It should tell you something about the manager. So in terms of taking steps forward and climbing the ladder, if you will, he's gone about it the right way.

6:18Growth, growth, growth. If we wanted to continue to grow, we have to take a step up. And yes, Liverpool is a step up by definition. but you assume that all this preparation and all this work that he's put in and everything that he has achieved up until this point has prepared him for this very moment. Will he be successful? Well, none of us really know. But the homework is done. The curriculum is there. He has done everything that he could do to put himself in this position. Now it's a matter of delivering on the promises that your own preparation suggests that you should be able to deliver on.

6:50Which players, Beth, could benefit from him coming in at Liverpool?

6:58Well, I think the obvious one is Milos Kerkhez because obviously Liverpool signed him from Bournemouth and it was under Andoni Heriola at Bournemouth that Kerkhez really established himself as one of the best young defenders in the Premier League. So he's had a bit of an indifferent season, able to establish himself as more of a consistent player as the season wore on, but there's a chance that he could reach a new level, possibly under Iriola. We know that he enjoyed working with him at Bournemouth. Florian Vietz is another one. He obviously struggled to really set the world alight in his first season at Liverpool.

7:39It's taken him a bit of time to get up to speed with the physicality, the intensity of the Premier League. So having had a season of that under his belt with a manager who prioritises a more front-footed brand of football, we might start to see the best out of him as well. I think regardless of who the manager is, Liverpool will want to see more from Alexander Isak. He scored a fantastic goal for Sweden in a friendly yesterday. It's just the kind of pace and flair that he's not been able to show for Liverpool this season. So whoever is coming in as manager, and as I say, we think it will be Arreola, one of the priorities is to try and get the best out of him.

8:20In a strange way, Arreola's coming in at a good time. You know, generally when a manager gets sacked, the team's poor, they don't have as many quality players, you know, you're kind of starting again. He's coming into a great squad and they will add during the summer. And there's absolutely no doubt he's going to improve 90 % of that squad from last year. You know, yes, obviously Kerkers is the obvious one, but other than Solvay's line, everybody else is going to be desperate to see what this guy can do for them. and it's not like he's a nobody coming in everybody knows how Bournemouth played and so every Liverpool player is going to be remembering what Bournemouth did and how tough it was against them and how open and attacking they were and how good they were and they're going to be excited they're all going to come back even the ones from the World Cup and that first day of training they're going to come back and they're going to be all ears and they're going to be eager and ready which had Arna Slaught not have been sacked they're all becoming back going oh here we go again back to the same old so this is huge and all these players individually to your point uh stevie most of them know that they had a down year most of them know that they had an underperforming year now it takes a little bit of self-awareness to understand okay i've had a down year now i have to come to this season and improve upon that And let's just say, just to throw a number out there, if you have 11 players and 10 of them underperformed, but you get seven or eight of them actually performing at the level that is expected of them, well, there is improvement right there.

10:02regardless of the presence of Idaola or not, that these players have to take it upon themselves to have a much better performance, and then Idaola certainly can help with that and sort of can provide this team with a platform where they can showcase who they are and the personality that truly describes and characterizes Liverpool, which we did not see this season where we're on a slot. I think some of it has to do with the individual's understanding. We had a terrible year. it has to be better. And if it is for most of those players, then as a group, Liverpool will get better as well. Now, you mentioned, Stevie, that there would be new players coming in, or hopefully there'll be new players coming in.

10:42We've shown a full screen there of a possible 11. Of the players that are available and are on the books at Liverpool right now, which are the high-demand areas for you that need upgrading? All right, here we go. With how long we've got tonight, I mean, let's be honest, every facet of Liverpool's team wasn't performing and so there's no question 100 % the first thing in my opinion that he has to do is strengthen up the back line no question and I'm sorry Joe Gomez is a great soldier to have but that's what he is you know he's not the guy that's going to win you the Premier League or the Championship they 100 % need to sign a bona fide centre back and depending on the fitness of Conor Bradley they need a full-back on the right-hand side.

11:29I'm going to give Kierkegaard a little bit of room here because his former manager, who no question got him playing, the fact, the reason Liverpool spent all that money on him. So I'm hoping that he'll sort him out. But then the middle of the park, again, I absolutely think they need a new face, a real character, a real leader, a guy who's going to start every single game, possibly maybe even be the captain. I mean, is it time for Van Dijk to relinquish that? But certainly the middle of the park needs a refurbishment. And the question is, does Gravenberg, is he part of that? Because I think McAllister had a tough year with injuries, whereas Gravenberg just had a bad season, basically.

12:14You've got to expect that the front players are going to be way better. You've got to expect that Isaac is going to show us some of the quality that he showed when he was at Newcastle. So, but yeah, it's tough to pinpoint, but, you know, I'm a guy that believes in the spine of the team is the most important. So centre-back, centre-mid and up front. Maybe not a centre-forward because we've got Izak, but absolutely, again, somebody who's going to come in and start. Not a guy who's going to be young and we're going to bring him along. Somebody that actually is going to start and who's going to make an impact straight away.

12:46Can I ask you a question, Stevie? Yep. If I may, respectfully. Van Dijk, next season. Is this going to be a Mohamed Salah type of situation as we had this season? Or is Van Dijk having one more great season for Liverpool? Well, right now, I would answer that question by saying I think if he gets that partner beside him and they get a proper fullback on the right-hand side, that will take away Van Dijk being able to concentrate on his job because I think the way the season started, he couldn't get out of that. He, to me, was betwixt and between because he's covering for Canati, he's covering for Kerkers.

13:34Teams are streaming through the middle of the park. So I think for most of the season, Van Dijk's biggest problem was he was trying to do everything. He was trying to do everybody else's job when really, at the end of the day, the first thing you have to do as a player, particularly if you're as important as him, is do your own job first and then you can go and help others. So I'm going to say that Virgil van Dijk will be better than the Virgil van Dijk of last year. So yeah, I think we'll see it. If he isn't... Well, if he isn't, they need another centre-back. And they have to be strong enough to do what they did with Mo Salah and if he's not performing, you have to sit on the bench.

14:16I mean, it seems harsh to say considering how good he's been for Liverpool. But that's the truth of the matter. If you want to win the Premier League and you want to try to win the Champions League, you need to make some tough decisions. And a tough decision would be not to play him, but he will start the season. After that, it's up to him. We were giving out a number of free wishes today, Beth, but Stevie's used up most of them. So if we were to give you two on to which positions need strengthening, what would they be?

14:52oh goodness me I mean I agree with Stevie I think you could be here all night probably talking about what Liverpool needs I think they need a winger obviously Mohamed Salah is gone they've actually only got three forwards who are going to be available as things stand at the start of next season and in Cody Gap Poe, Alexander Isak and Rio Angamola who's 17 by the way so they need a good few forwards but I'd say they need a winger top quality winger and a midfielder who is going to add a little bit of steel and a little bit of grit to that midfield because it has been far too easy to to walk through it this season at times so um so yeah but I think they probably need honestly about four or five first team ready players to come in this summer so there's a lot for Richard who is the sporting director to do.

15:36Thanks for joining us Beth it looks as though you might have a couple of busy days ahead of you so we look forward to hearing from you again soon here on ESPN FC. Thank you. And make sure to stay up to date with all the latest transfer news and the managerial merry-go-round over on our YouTube channel, ESPN FC. Look, the economy is a lot right now. And if you're a small business owner, you probably feel it. You can't control interest rates or tariffs, but you can control how efficiently your business operates. Automating payroll and HR with Gusto is one of the fastest ways to cut friction and focus on what actually moves the needle.

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17:38Terms and conditions apply NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash Debt Rebound. Now for the first time in 20 years, Real Madrid is heading into a contested presidential election. Florentino Perez has said if someone buys the smallest part, say 5 % then that could fix some of the problems. Enrique Raquelme's come back saying he's crossed a red line, he'll do the opposite and that he's announcing this week that he'll go to a notary to put in writing in public that he would never sell any part of Real Madrid to a third party. Election day takes place on Sunday the 7th of June and Sid Lowe joins us now from Madrid.

18:19So Sid, what can we read into those two comments? One from the standing president and the other the man who's trying to be president? Yeah, well, if we take Raquel May's stance in this, and I think it's probably a good place to start, is to talk about these elections as being not so much a case of the two candidates, but a case of whether or not you are in favour of Real Madrid remaining entirely owned by its members, or whether you're in favour of Real Madrid opening itself up to investment from outside. Now, of course, this is something that I think is very interesting, because even Florentino Pérez, who, of course, is the president that is now proposing a situation in which he would sell 5 % of the club and turn membership into effectively into a share of the club rather than a membership of the club even he is talking about this in terms of defending the members in terms of keeping the the club in the hands of members but he says that he wants to sell 5 % of the club now he's not actually talking about this in terms of bringing investment in but in terms of understanding the value of the club and then using that to apply a new model to Real Madrid which would mean that for all of those members let's say for argument's sake 95 100 000 members instead of all of them being one member one vote they would be one member one share but of course that will come up against five percent of the shares being in the hands of some sort of private capital um this is i think going to be the central issue for the rest of the presidential elections it's not a particularly exciting issue i think for a lot of fans in terms of normally in the presidential elections we see offers of signings players that might come in a new manager these kind of promises but i think it's structurally in terms of the way the club is set up, I think it's absolutely significant.

19:55Is that going to divide the fans then, Sid? Because surely something they've always taken a pride in is that it is 100 % owned by the fans. Yeah, and I think that's very important. As I say, this is one of the reasons why Florentino is projecting this as being a way of protecting the fans. Now, I think we can pick through some of Florentino's arguments. So one of the things he says, first of all, is he says that if we sold 5%, this would just be a way of valuing the club. Now, there are other ways of valuing the club, but this would give you a market value of what the club is. That's the way here that he's suggesting this.

20:26He's also saying that a big investor that would come in, whether it's a bank or whether it's a company or whether it's an investment fund or whether it's a hedge fund or whatever it may be, would be basically buying 5 % of the club, according to him, in return for nothing. Now, of course, I don't think anyone truly believes that any company pays that kind of money in return for absolutely nothing. He then says, well, it wouldn't dilute the power of the fans and the power of the season ticket holders because it would only be 5%. But of course, it would be 5 % that is a consolidated block within the ownership of the club rather than the other 95 % of what would be the owners having their ownership fragmented across 95 % of the people.

21:05And so I think it does pose very serious questions about what this really means, about why they are doing it. Florentino isn't saying that he wants to do this to bring investment in, but very clearly does want to bring investment in. And I think you're right that there are a lot of fans who are put off by this. And this is one of the reasons why Raquel May is making this the central part of his campaign. It's not really about what he can offer in terms of a sporting director. It's not what he can offer in terms of a player. It's not what he can offer in terms of manager. It's about him saying, listen, this is something that we need to stop in terms of the structure of the club.

21:35Now, is that to say that absolutely all of the fans think Raquel May is right? That all of the fans think this is a bad idea? No, because some, I think, welcome a degree of investment. Some believe that this would be a degree of investment that would maintain their ownership of the club. But you're absolutely right, Kay, that that idea that this is a fan-owned club that isn't in the hands of private capital is sacrosanct to Real Madrid fans. And I think that is why it's become the central issue of this campaign. Is Raquel May causing any sleepless nights for Florentino Perez at the moment, Sid?

22:08Well, that kind of depends on how you'd find sleepless nights. If we're looking at this and thinking, is he a threat to Florentino Perez? It depends on what you consider to be a threat. Now, I think in terms of the election results, nobody truly anticipates anything other than a Ferencino-Pedef victory. This is a guy that's been president for two decades. He's been incredibly successful. The last two years, it's true, there have been lots of problems, but he's been incredibly successful in that period. Of course, six European Cups in 11 years. I think there's a degree of faith and a degree of trust in Ferencino-Pedef.

22:39So I think in that sense, he wouldn't lose presidential elections. I think he would still win. but I do think this is a slight concern for him because of course what we're seeing is exactly these kind of conversations we're having now the fact that we're on here talking about this Kay is significant because this is a plan that Florentino has that he wants to put in place and he's now got opposition to it he's now got people questioning it he's now been exposed and put in a position where he has to defend this project and to be perfectly honest his defense of it hasn't been entirely convincing and so I think it's concerning for Florentino because it doesn't look great I think it's concerning to Florentino because it does suggest the emergence of a power bloc that can maybe at least stand up to him, even if they're not likely to win.

23:17But I don't think for a minute that he believes, or in truth that anyone else believes, that he will lose these presidential elections. Forgive me if I am to doubt and perhaps show a little bit of cynicism in thinking that 5 % stays at 5%. Is that a slippery slope, do you think? See, and that's, once you open that door, and once you say, well, if for 5 % we got this much, imagine what we can get for 10%. Imagine what we can get for 15%. When does it stop? And Florentino Perez is a businessman. And so I, there is something very valuable to, I think, to Real Madrid fans and the members of Real Madrid to say, this is ours.

24:06to just kind of put it out there to outside investment, that's no longer ours. It's ours plus. Hours adjacent. And there's somebody else who's also going to be involved. And for Florentino Perez or anybody who says, well, this 5 % or however much the percentage is, to say that it's an exchange of nothing, nonsense. there when there is and as I'm sure there will be a transaction in the millions or billions you think it's for nothing you think it's just for the good of mankind no there's all it's a transaction for a reason and by definition of transaction is they give me this I give you that I scratch your back, you scratch my back.

24:57This whole idea is indeed a slippery slope. And it's one that if Riquelme and his people are able to package and message correctly, they may gain some traction. I don't think it's enough, but they may gain some traction. Have you ever been in a situation, Steve, where you're a player or a manager under all these things going on up top? And what do you do when you are, if you have? To be honest, when you're playing and you're coaching, you're concentrating on what your job is. You know, particularly at a place at Real Madrid, because if you don't get that job done, it doesn't matter what's going on up the stairs or who the president is.

25:33If you're not winning games, winning titles, you're going to get the sack and you're going to be at the door. The one thing I would say, though, is Perez, he must be a smart man, but he's not as smart as he thinks he is. You know, it so smells big time. When you've got the goal to turn around to 100 ,000 people, let's say, pulled up earlier, let's say 100 ,000 people, and say, we're going to give 5 % away, but we're not giving them anything, and actually think they're going to believe you. I'm sorry, that stinks. So, yeah, not clever. It also comes from the same man who, in his press conferencing, while he was ranting and raving and going this way and that way, we're going to do elections, right?

26:17That's what we're going to do. If you start doing that, it's because you have zero belief that anybody can threaten you, that you are in any way touchable. He feels as if he isn't touchable. Therefore, he can go on his rant and rave and crazy thoughts here and crazy talk over there because he doesn't feel that he's in any danger. Otherwise, he would never have called for this election. Never. If he thought he was in any jeopardy, even though he was very defiant and saying, those that oppose me, come out from the dark. Let me see who you are. Let me see who you are. Well, now he knows who it is.

26:55And he is in no way in his mind threatened by any of this. He thinks of himself as untouchable. We'll see. Yeah, just quickly on that point as well, Sid, Enrique Raquelme has come out himself, even though he can oppose him because he has the money and the 20 years as a member to be able to do so. He said that even that in itself doesn't help people to go against Florentino Perez. no and actually i think to pick up on ali's point and to extend it i think i think for tina has probably already taken a little bit of a hit because i think he suspected that he would he would challenge enrique riquelme to come out and reenrique riquelme would be unable to put together a candidacy in time and he would say well there we go then and we carry on and i think it was his idea of killing that candidacy but before it could even really get on its feet so i think the very fact that for tina is confronted by elections is already a little bit of a surprise Now, I'm not going to call it a defeat, but I think it's more than he was expecting to have to deal with.

27:48And I think the election campaign isn't doing him any favours because, as Ali's just said, when he speaks, it's not particularly convincing. It's not particularly impressive. But I still think he will probably win. And so much of this issue around the 5 % I think is really quite damaging for the club. But at least 20 years later, we're actually in the position where it's being talked about. And we're actually in a position where people will go to the ballot box to decide. One thing that does come when there is a new president or a standing president in these elections is the promise that's mentioned.