Andoni Iraola says assistant Tommy Elphick’s Liverpool support convinced him not to take a Championship job this summer.
Iraola is continuing his preparations to lead Liverpool into the new season after succeeding Arne Slot in the Anfield dugout.
And he’s brought with him to Merseyside two of his colleagues from Bournemouth, who he guided to an historic seventh-placed Premier League finish last season.
Elphick and Shaun Cooper, both Bournemouth legends as players, were coaching at the club when Iraola arrived in 2023 and have followed him to his next job in charge of the Reds.
And Iraola is glad to have them with him, telling Liverpool club media: “Yes, for me, Tommy and Shaun are very valuable because they have been English players, they’ve played in the Premier League, the Championship, League One; they understand the culture, they understand what the players are thinking.
“And they’ve gone through the process of understanding how to build a team, because we didn’t know each other when I arrived at Bournemouth and they have seen all the process during these three years where we’ve been evolving, we’ve been adding different things.
“So now, I think they are the best ones to transmit the same thing to the players and to the new coaches, that we already had in the club. They are helping me a lot.
“I think they are sometimes in more touch with the players than me because always with the manager there is a little bit of more distance, I think the players are more comfortable sometimes with the assistants.
“They know also when to filter the information – when I need to know things. Sometimes they don’t tell me the things that for sure stay between them and the players. They are brilliant in this.”
Who could Elphick have joined?
Iraola might have lost Elphick this summer, as he explained: “Tommy, I tell him, he is living his dream. I think he had this summer a chance to coach in the Championship. Good clubs called him, but I think he couldn’t miss this because he’s been a big Liverpool fan.
“We were talking the other day, meeting with the legends we have here, with Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush – he was like, ‘Oof, this is big.’ I like how he is feeling it and I think it’s very nice for him, yes.”
Elphick held talks with Bristol City over his first senior role in management.
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Despite the 38-year-old being impressed with the Robins’ plans, he decided against the move.
Burnley were also believed to have shown interest in Elphick.
Liverpool beat Wrexham 1-0 in New York in their latest pre-season friendly on Thursday.
The Reds round off their US tour by taking on Leeds in Chicago on Sunday night, before home friendlies against Monaco and Como.
They begin the new Premier League campaign away to Newcastle on August 23 then meet Nottingham Forest in their home opener six days later.
Liverpool fell short in the defence of their Premier League crown last term, finishing fifth – and while that was enough to clinch Champions League qualification, their performance ultimately cost title-winning boss Slot his job.
Iraola is one of eight confirmed new Premier League managers for 2026/27.
That number will rise to nine after Eddie Howe stepped down as Newcastle boss on Friday.
The Magpies are expected to appoint Al-Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle as Howe’s successor.
