Anfield’s new era has brought Andoni Iraola back into the European spotlight, but Liverpool’s current head coach could have arrived on Merseyside long before he entered management. The former Athletic Club right-back has revealed that Rafa Benítez once wanted to take him to Liverpool as a player.
Iraola took charge at Anfield this summer after three outstanding seasons with Bournemouth, adding another chapter to a career that also included spells managing AEK Larnaca, Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano. His connection with Liverpool, however, dates back to his playing years in Bilbao.
Quick facts
- Andoni Iraola became Liverpool manager this summer.
- Rafa Benítez tried to sign Iraola when he was an Athletic Club player.
- Iraola said Athletic was central to his identity and he did not want to leave.
- Benítez recognised that, for Athletic players, the club can feel like home.
- The former Liverpool manager contrasted Iraola’s situation with Xabi Alonso’s move abroad.
Speaking alongside Benítez, Iraola explained that there were more than one possible opening for a move to Liverpool, including opportunities after the Spaniard had left the club. Yet the pull of Athletic proved stronger than the prospect of England.
“I do not know how close it was, but I wanted him,” Benítez said of the attempted transfer. Iraola replied that he was simply content where he was, adding: “Athletic means everything to me.”
For Iraola, Liverpool’s interest was flattering enough to feel almost embarrassing. But he said his thinking matched that of players who have already reached Anfield: when a club gives you a sense of belonging, it is difficult to see a better place elsewhere.
Benítez accepted that a Spanish footballer would naturally view England and Liverpool as a major destination. Still, he understood why Athletic’s players could resist such a move, given their relationship with the Basque club.
He pointed to Xabi Alonso as a different case, while recalling a transfer that never materialised. Years later, the player Liverpool once pursued has returned to Anfield in a far more decisive role, carrying responsibility not for the right flank but for the club’s European direction.
