Andoni Iraola confirmed he will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season, a decision announced in mid-April. A coach formed in the Marcelo Bielsa school, Iraola is defined more by principles than a rigid formation, but his sides have typically set up in a 4-2-3-1. That framework, plus his appetite for aggressive man-to-man pressing and a direct approach in possession, explains why he has emerged as a candidate for clubs seeking intensity and structure.<\/p>\n
Iraola\u2019s Bournemouth teams press to suffocate opponents in wide areas and to produce moments in transition. In possession they are direct: strikers run channels, a chief progressive passer is charged with turning defence around, and ball-carrying is encouraged so play moves forward quickly. A young Chelsea squad could suit that high-octane model, though the club are also keen to add more experienced star talent this summer.<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper: James Trafford is set to leave Manchester City this summer with several clubs interested. Robert S\u00e1nchez remains upgradeable, and Chelsea are unlikely to pursue Mike Maignan again after he penned a contract extension with Milan earlier this year. If Chelsea can promise Trafford a starting role they may win a competitive race.<\/p>\n
Right-back: Reece James, the club captain, offers versatility and an impressive passing range. He could be used in midfield, but Iraola may value him at right-back to release his passing from deeper positions.<\/p>\n
Centre-backs: Trevoh Chalobah has been Chelsea\u2019s most reliable defensive option this season and could be retained while the club looks to improve the position. Marcos Senesi is available on a free transfer and stands out as an experienced, left-footed passer from the back who impressed under Iraola at Bournemouth.<\/p>\n
Left-back: Levi Colwill is close to a full recovery from the ACL tear he suffered last summer and might make a handful of appearances during Calum McFarlane\u2019s interim spell. Mauricio Pochettino used Colwill as a left-back, and Iraola is not drastically different stylistically, especially in possession. If Marc Cucurella leaves, Colwill could emerge as an option.<\/p>\n
Midfield and attack: Mois\u00e9s Caicedo would provide the tone in midfield Iraola values, while Alex Scott\u2019s energy fits that midfield profile. On the right, Pedro Neto offers enthusiasm, though availability will depend on Est\u00eav\u00e3o\u2019s recovery. Cole Palmer could flourish in an attacking midfield No.10 role with greater freedom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iraola’s press and direct attacking suit Chelsea’s young squad; a tactical and transfer reset. soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13358,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[739,190,172],"tags":[1162,1615],"class_list":["post-13359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bournemouth","category-chelsea","category-epl","tag-analytics","tag-andoni-iraola"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}