- Newcastle United shift in recruitment suits Andoni Iraola
- AFC Bournemouth coach’s system suits the squad
- The player Newcastle must sign from Vitality Stadium
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past day, you will be well aware of Andoni Iraola’s decision to leave Bournemouth at the end of the season. With that announcement has come a wave of discourse around Newcastle United’s interest in the Spaniard.
Iraola has done a stellar job at Bournemouth during his three-year stint, especially this season, where he had to navigate some big players’ departures on a modest Bournemouth budget.
We have already covered all the reasons that Andoni Iraola may not be on the cards as the next Newcastle manager. So it’s only right we take a look at all the things that make Andoni Iraola a potentially perfect fit for the Magpies’ job, should Eddie Howe’s tenure end this summer.
Newcastle United recruitment shift
This summer, Newcastle are reportedly making a conscious decision to shift toward a recruitment strategy that focuses on signing and developing a younger cohort of players.
Of course, the budget for a build of that nature will be greater than what Iraola had at Bournemouth. However, the Spaniard has already proven he has an excellent capacity to develop every player he coaches.
His time at Bournemouth has largely been characterised by signing those lesser-known, younger players who have the potential to develop into top players.
That has a lot to do with Bournemouth’s strategy as a club, but Iraola has shown he can work in that environment to great effect, which sets him up well to succeed at Newcastle.
Similar system to Eddie Howe
If you cast your mind back to last season’s fixture against Bournemouth at St James’ Park, you may remember the 4-1 battering Newcastle received at the hands of Iraola’s men.
The one thing that stood out in that fixture was that Bournemouth ran all over the Magpies and came with an intensity Howe’s men couldn’t match.
To that point, it had been largely unheard of for a team to come to St James’ Park and do what Bournemouth did. If Iraola can out-intensify a side whose mantra, at the time anyway, was ‘intensity is our identity’, then he’s clearly doing something right.
The main aim of Iraola’s system is to maintain the high press, limiting the time his side spends in the defensive half and winning the ball back high. Something which is the perfect solution to what Newcastle have struggled with in dropping off when ahead.
The Spaniard likes attacking full backs, perfect for Lewis Hall, and employs a system which essentially furthers all of the good things seen under Eddie Howe.
St James’ Park the perfect stepping stone
This one won’t be the most exciting of points where Newcastle or the fans are concerned, but it is unfortunately very much the truth.
Newcastle is currently the perfect project to propel a manager to the undeniable elite level.
Many believe that Eddie Howe has taken the club as far as he can – a side which gets Champions League football on an inconsistent basis.
The ambition is for the gap to be bridged between the Magpies and the elite, with the club looking to be regular Champions League qualifiers and challenge for domestic trophies regularly.
The allure of Newcastle for a manager like Iraola is that, should he succeed in bridging that gap, he will be seen as a manager capable of managing almost any club in world football and turning their failing fortunes into regular success.
That is a mouth-watering prospect for any manager and, for Iraola, could actually be more appetising than going straight into the unbridled pressure of an elite club where you are unproven.
Dear Iraola, please bring Eli Kroupi Jr to Newcastle United
If Iraola does come to Newcastle, there is one player who he should be encouraged to bring with him. That man is Eli Kroupi Jr.
Kroupi only joined Bournemouth from French side Lorient in the summer, where he had just scored 22 goals in 30 Ligue 2 games. Since then, he has set the Premier League on fire with a very respectable tally of 10 goals in just 15 Premier League starts.
Kroupi is just 19 years old and would fit perfectly with Newcastle’s new younger recruitment strategy. He is versatile and can play at number 10 and off either wing, but is most potent through the middle as a striker.
Newcastle have struggled to replace Alexander Isak after his departure last summer and are thought to be looking at options to bolster their squad when the window opens.
Kroupi would be an exceptional way of doing exactly that, although he would likely cost a hefty sum of money. Newcastle would also probably have to fight off other interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs to secure his signature.
Kroupi is massively exciting, is clinical in front of goal and has the supreme confidence of a player who believes in his ability. He could be exactly what Newcastle need in those forward areas going into next season.
In other news, Newcastle United set £55m price as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United circle England star.
