Over the past few days, there has been increasing talk about Andoni Iraola moving to Crystal Palace.
Sport Witness covered reports from Spain that an agreement between the two parties was close. While they didn’t offer more information beyond that, El Chiringuito appeared confident about their claim.
The Spaniard will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season, with the Cherries still in a Europa League spot.
Naturally, the excellent work Iraola has done on the South Coast was going to attract a lot of attention. That’s why a move to Crystal Palace was seen as a bit of a surprise, especially as Chelsea are already looking to sign a long-term replacement for Liam Rosenior themselves.
Interest in Iraola now extends well beyond Spain and UK, with an Italian club trying to sign him.
Fiorentina make contact
La Nazione – via LabaroViola, report on Fiorentina sporting director Fabio Paratici’s interest in the 43-year-old. The Italian has connections in England from his time at Tottenham and this has led to his interest in Iraola.
As a result, Paratici has also made initial contact for the Cherries’ manager, with Fiorentina considering the idea of replacing Paolo Vanoli in the summer.
La Viola have explored Iraola’s situation in recent days and the newspaper are optimistic about his potential arrival. This is because Iraola has left the door open for the Florence club, even if Crystal Palace are keen on him.
He is still believed to be exploring his options and will not close the door on any major opportunities that come calling.
Our take: Fiorentina’s blind hope
A lot of times, the Italian media (especially the local press) make claims that seem detached from reality. Iraola might have listened to Fiorentina’s approach but that doesn’t mean he is interested in the job.
Besides, there is no clarity over when the contact for him was made. That could’ve happened before Crystal Palace came close to signing him.
Vanoli hasn’t done a bad job in Florence. He has pulled them out of the relegation zone and they’re heading towards a safe, mid-table finish.
He has done enough to stay, unless Paratici really wants to impose his own ideas at the club. Signing Iraola would send a massive message but the Eagles may have made major progress already.
