Bournemouth announce new manager: Why Cherries have appointed Marco Rose as Andoni Iraola's successor

Bournemouth have confirmed the appointment of former RB Leipzig boss as Andoni Iraola's replacement.

Iraola announced last week that this will be his third and final season in the Cherries dugout.

With Iraola set to leave at the end of his contract this summer, Bournemouth have quickly moved to appoint Rose as his successor.

The Cherries have confirmed that Rose has agreed a three-year contract to take over the reins at the end of the current season.

Rose will manage in the Premier League for the first time after spending his coaching career in Austria with Red Bull Salzburg and in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig.

AFC Bournemouth is delighted to confirm the appointment of Marco Rose as the club’s new head coach on a three-year contract, which will begin following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season.
— AFC Bournemouth ? (@afcbournemouth) April 20, 2026

Why Bournemouth appointed Rose

As per The Athletic, Rose's aggressive style of play was one of the key factors behind his appointment.

Rose wants his team to press high out of possession and then move the ball forward at pace when they win it back.

The Cherries hierarchy hope that the similarities behind Rose and Iraola's style of play will make the transition much smoother than if they opted for a manager with a different approach.

Rose also brings experience of leading clubs to European qualification, allowing him to coach in the Champions League and Europa League.

Those experiences will be particularly useful if Bournemouth can finish the current Premier League campaign in a European position.

The 49-year-old also has experience of guiding teams to silverware after leading Salzburg to two league titles and the Austrian Cup, and Leipzig to the DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup.

Importance of Bournemouth's quick recruitment process

According to BBC Sport, Rose was one of three names on Bournemouth's managerial shortlist.

Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna was said to be under consideration, while there was also interest in Iraola's former assistant and current Rayo Vallecano head coach Inigo Perez.

However, Bournemouth would have had to wait until the end of the season to pursue a deal for McKenna or Perez due to their current commitments.

In contrast, Rose has been out of management since leaving Leipzig in March 2025, allowing for a smooth and swift negotiation process.

The quick nature of Rose's appointment puts to bed the speculation about the head coach position and allows the club to focus all of their efforts on their bid to secure European qualification.