Liverpool appoints Andoni Iraola and prepares full pre-season return at AXA Training Centre

Andoni Iraola arrives at Liverpool ahead of pre-season

What happened? Andoni Iraola has arrived at Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre and will oversee pre-season preparations.

Where and when? The arrivals and assessments take place at Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre as most first-team players and staff are due to report back on July 14 ahead of the Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 23, club sources and staff announcements indicate.

Who announced or confirmed? Club communications and reporting from Liverpool sources, plus statements and background from those who worked with Iraola at Bournemouth, outline the early plans and staffing.

The club will start with individual player assessments when the squad reconvenes, with an emphasis on building a front-foot, aggressive playing style. Iraola will be joined by first-team coaches Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, and assistant coach Pablo de la Torre, all of whom have worked with him previously.

De la Torre has publicly described Iraola as intelligent, emotionally stable and effective at filtering information for players, remarks that underline the staff’s shared approach to preparing the squad physically and tactically.

The coaching team’s methods are expected to include intensive running and hands-on session management; reports from Bournemouth note Iraola’s tendency to lead drills directly and referee mini-games during training.

Liverpool have already begun integrating returning squad members: academy players are back, 15-year-old Josh Abe will join the US tour, and several senior players are scheduled to return the week of July 14, including Dominik Szoboszlai, Joe Gomez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Curtis Jones, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Kostas Tsimikas.

Some internationals remain at the ongoing tournament: Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz are still competing for their national sides, while others eliminated at the round-of-32—Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak—are expected to rejoin after their breaks.

New signing Jeremy Jacquet, who joined from Rennes in a deal reported at £60m, has completed shoulder rehabilitation and linked up with the squad to begin acclimatisation ahead of pre-season fixtures.

Players recovering from injuries, such as Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo, have already been present at the training ground, and Hugo Ekitike has undertaken rehabilitation work in Los Angeles before planning sessions with Liverpool’s medical team.

A key task for Iraola will be assessing whether Jeremy Jacquet or Giovanni Leoni can partner Virgil van Dijk regularly in defence. Liverpool regard both as promising talents but recognise the challenge of integrating them as immediate starters at Premier League level.

Liverpool will depart for their pre-season tour of the United States on July 20, with Iraola scheduled to hold a press conference in Chicago on July 21. The touring schedule includes friendlies against Sunderland (July 25, Nashville), Wrexham (New York) and Leeds (Chicago), followed by two home pre-season matches at Anfield against AS Monaco and Como 1907.