Former Chelsea managerial target Andoni Iraola has now been appointed the new Liverpool manager, after they missed out on Xabi Alonso to the Blues.
Plenty expected Alonso to take over at Anfield ahead of next season, however they took too long making a decision over the future of Arne Slot.
It has even been reported that Alonso turned down taking over at Liverpool due to not being allowed to have control over the transfers at Anfield.
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Jamie Carragher admits concerns over Andoni Iraola when he was a Chelsea target
While the Spaniard quickly took over as the number one candidate at Stamford Bridge, the Blues had a number of other figures under consideration.
One of those was Andoni Iraola after an excellent season in charge of Bournemouth, which resulted in them qualifying for the Europa League.
Now he is at Liverpool, club legend Jamie Carragher has been discussing his side’s chances with the Spaniard at the helm.
He told The Telegraph he was convinced it was too early to make the step up to a club like Chelsea when he was strongly linked there.
He said: “When Iraola was strongly linked with Chelsea, my impression was it was too soon and he would benefit from joining a club who were playing in European competition, adjusting to the demands of three games a week in readiness for the next step.
“Instead, he will encounter challenges at Liverpool which he has never faced.”
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Alonso facing his own challenges at Stamford Bridge
Despite no European football distractions potentially working in favour of Alonso ahead of his first season in charge, there will be other challenges to deal with.
This includes the playing personnel at his disposal, with some big stars linked with the exit door.
Enzo Fernandez is strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid after making his desire to live there very clear last season.
Marc Cucurella is reportedly looking at his options too, with a number of top sides in Spain weighing up a move for him.
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