A Career Defining Choice

As Crystal Palace prepare for their first-ever European final, Oliver Glasner sees this as the perfect way to cap his tenure. Further to the South, Andoni Iraola hopes that getting the Cherries to qualify for Europe will be a great swan song.

With Iraola as the leading candidate for the Palace job, is it the correct move for the Spaniard?

The Palace’s current state seems like the ideal fit for any up-and-coming manager. A talented squad that proved itself in Europe and an ownership group willing to match a manager’s ambitions.

However, for Iraola, moving to the Eagles feels, at best, a lateral move. If Bournemouth played like a plucky lower-half-of-the-table team, with the Spaniard outgrowing it, then the move makes sense. The Cherries being in a European spot, knocking past some of the Prem’s elite thanks to the system he built, complicates matters.

To be fair, most managers dream of being in the position of Iraola. Having seen his project lift Bournemouth to new heights, he should have any opening available to him. At the same time, the Palace knocking at his door is an opportunity most managers would jump at.

Perhaps the biggest hangup for Iraola lies in what the ceiling of this Palace team is compared to Bournemouth’s.

With a number of jobs likely to open in the summer, should the manager bide his time or use another opportunity to build his resume?

The life cycle of managers remains the shortest of almost anyone else involved in football. Players have so many leagues to choose from, and organizational pieces change yearly.

For managers, this short leash means they must consider every opportunity. Only a few managers find themselves untouchable, but for the others, their entire lives can change in a night.

Almost every season, a manager carries a previously midtable side to Europe in the Prem. In the past, the likes of Graham Potter and Eddie Howe became the hottest names on the managerial carousel like this. While this type of manager sees varying levels of success, they remain a phenomenon.

Iraola combines the Frank/Potter mold with Howe characteristics. Clearly, the Bournemouth front office understands how to scout and develop players better than most clubs. The Spaniard also built a good system to deliver a competitive squad.

Over his tenure, the Cherries went from a club desperate to return to Prem relevance to one challenging for Europe. A fun side that likes to attack, Iraola found success in a system that gets the most out of youngsters and veterans alike. This sustained proof of concept should have made him a top name for any opening.

While debates over who to attribute Bournemouth’s success continue to rage on, Iraola proved himself worthy of a great deal of the credit. For actually getting the club into this position, he feels different from Frank and Potter, who both struggled at the next level. However, those concerns still exist, which may ultimately be responsible for the move he will make this summer.

A summer that promises to be an eventful one for managers across the continent should have been the perfect opening for Iraola.

Having developed into the type of manager most clubs fight over, the Cherries manager felt like the perfect manager for so many clubs.

Both the Cherries and Eagles stand on the verge of historic seasons with European football almost guaranteed. While both managerial positions offer any candidate the chance to continue something historic, there is little meaningful difference between the two. 

Funny enough, there is a world in which the managers of both clubs switch positions. Both Glasner and Iraola hoped for a different future. It’s not that either post is unappealing; the other options seem underwhelming.

At one point this season, especially before Carrick took over at United and Chelsea became the favorites for Xabi Alonso, Iraola appeared to be the favorite for any top-six job. His experience and success in the Prem thus far made him the logical heir for the likes of Chelsea or even Spurs. Even jobs abroad felt like a possibility, with the Real Madrid opening seeming increasingly realistic.

It may be strange to say, but Iraola suffers from his own success. By leading the Cherries to such a high position in the table, very few remaining jobs offer something better.

Perhaps the best way for Iraola to land the job of his dreams is to remain with Bournemouth. Proving himself in Europe with the club offers the Spaniard a chance to go down the Emery route. His Villa counterpart stayed with his club, reviving his image in the Prem.

While Emery seems likely to spend more time in Birmingham, Iraola is still young, and staying at Bournemouth for another year won’t kill off any future opportunities. Staying with the Cherries as they enter European competition is playing with house money. Iraola already proved himself at the highest league level, cementing himself as one of the continent’s most promising managers.

A lack of other options may ultimately push Iraloa towards Palace, even if the job feels like a lateral move.

Perhaps staying with the Cherries gives the Spaniard a chance to truly reach a new level.

As both clubs complete historic seasons, Iraola prepares for a summer that may see his future completely change. While failing at a larger club won’t kill his future, struggling with Palace promises a harder return to the good graces of the sport.

Iraloa is still at such an early stage in his career, but making the wrong choice now may stunt his growth.