Tottenham Hotspur only have an interim manager in place, and although Igor Tudor has given Spurs real signs of improvement, the bar was also beneath the earth with how poorly Thomas Frank was doing as Spurs manager. So Tottenham are almost certainly going to be in the market for a new coach, and although fans may have dreams of Mauricio Pochettino, the club cannot restrict themselves to pining for one option, especially someone who has a high profile national team job in a World Cup year.
When Tottenham ultimately hired Frank, they were also linked to a few mid table standouts in the Premier League. The most impressive of them both in the past and currently this season is Andoni Iraola, whose Bournemouth side blasted Tottenham early in the season - when Spurs were actually looking like a good team - and is currently in European contention even after selling superstar Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.
Iraola may not be the biggest name on the Tottenham Hotspur manager wish list, as fans will be pining for not only Poch but also Xabi Alonso or even his old rival Xavi. But Iraola has overachieved for Bournemouth and was arguably even more impressive before that as the manager of Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.
Athletic Club want Andoni Iraola
But La Liga could be calling Iraola's name again with an even more desirable spot, especially for him personally. According to a new report from talkSPORT's Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook, Andoni Iraola is one of the "leading candidates" to take over for Spanish managerial icon Ernesto Valverde, who recently stepped down from Athletic Club - the place where Iraola became a star in Spanish football as one of the best right backs in all of Europe during the 2000s and early 2010s.
Per Jacobs and Crook, Iraola will soon tell Bournemouth whether or not he is going to sign a new deal to stay at the club or if he is going to pursue other job openings from clubs like Athletic and Tottenham. The Cherries manager is out of contract at the end of the 2025/26 season, but Bournemouth reportedly like their chances of keeping him after signing top young players, replacing Semenyo with another exciting forward in Rayan.
If given the choice between Athletic Club and Tottenham, it is hard to see Iraola picking against the Basque club. They have so much history with their homegrown players, and Iraola was such an icon for them in defense. Athletic Club have been disappointing this season, too, but they are an easier situation to walk into than Spurs.