da cassino： The manager has many admirers for his work with underdogs in Spain and England and should be on INEOS' shortlist to succeed struggling Erik ten Hag

da pinup bet： There is a revolution in European football, and it's being led by Basque coaches. The Basque Country has long had a rich footballing heritage but right now one province in particular, Gipuzkoa, is responsible for producing some of the best tacticians on the continent.

Xabi Alonso is on the brink of leading Bayer Leverkusen to a first-ever Bundesliga title, becoming the first team to break Bayern Munich's 11-year stranglehold on the German top flight all while remaining unbeaten. In England, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are top of the Premier League and within striking distance of the Champions League semi-finals. And Aston Villa, under the guidance of Unai Emery, are close to qualifying for the Champions League for the first time ever.

Basque coaches are not just doing well abroad, they are flying the flag in their own region too. Imanol Alguacil has been working wonders with Real Sociedad for several years, winning the Copa del Rey in 2021 and taking them to the Champions League knockout stage this season. And in the neighbouring Basque province of Vizcaya, Ernesto Valverde has just guided Athletic Club to a cup win – their first trophy in 40 years.

As Manchester United look for candidates to succeed Erik ten Hag after a truly dismal season, they might want to look at the continent's hotbed of coaching talent. The time is ripe to join the Basque coaching revolution and Andoni Iraola, whose Bournemouth side take on the Red Devils on Saturday, would be a fascinating candidate to take charge at Old Trafford.

GettyAdmired by Guardiola, Klopp & Barca

The 41-year-old has got Bournemouth punching way above their weight and earlier this season he orchestrated United's joint-heaviest defeat of the season.

Iraola has not yet been properly linked with the Old Trafford hotseat but he has been put on the shortlist at another prestigious club on the lookout for a new manager, with Barcelona considering him as a successor to Xavi Hernandez. And United should also be looking at the man Jurgen Klopp, Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola have all lavished praise on amid an outstanding debut season in England.

Iraola was under pressure from the start when he was appointed successor to Gary O'Neil, who was sacked last summer despite steering Bournemouth to safety. But the club's American owner Bill Foley wanted a more ambitious coach and made a bet on the former Athletic Club and New York City full-back.

Iraola had been previously approached by Leeds United and had worked miracles with the ramshackle Rayo Vallecano in Spain, including masterminding three wins over Barcelona and a victory against Real Madrid.

He had considerable teething problems as Bournemouth failed to win any of their opening nine games while losing six times, including being beaten by O'Neil's Wolves. But Iraola just needed a little more time before everything clicked, with Bournemouth winning seven of their next nine games to soar clear of the relegation zone.

AdvertisementGetty Laying siege to Old Trafford

And the most impressive win of all came at Old Trafford, when the Cherries destroyed United 3-0 in December, inflicting the joint-heaviest defeat on the Red Devils this season along with treble winners Manchester City. It would have been the biggest had Dango Ouattara's late goal not been harshly ruled out by VAR.

The knives were out for Ten Hag after the game and it could be argued that he would not have survived the debacle had the club not been in limbo at the time with its strategic review then still unresolved.

But Bournemouth deserved huge credit for the way they took United apart with a masterful gameplan devised by Iraola based on a high defensive line and targeted pressing. And that was when the Premier League's biggest names began to sit up and take notice.

"I didn't know much about him but I really had time to admire them and what he's doing there. They had a difficult start but they turned it around, wow, that's real coaching," Klopp said in January. "He found a way to set this team up they have a really good mix, they play football in a fine direction. They're really good, really compact. That's proper."

Guardiola described Bournemouth as "completely alive, aggressive, and well organised" before City's trip to the Vitality Stadium in February and after the champions came through a testing final 15 minutes to win 1-0, he called his players "supermen".

(C)GettyImagesOn INEOS' wavelength

Bournemouth have the fifth-lowest wage bill in the Premier League but under Iraola they sit in 12th, six places and eight points below United, who reportedly pay the highest wages in England. And that's why INEOS should be taking a look at the forward-thinking Basque coach.

Minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear that he does not think the solution to United's many problems is to make more lavish signings, talking of the need to "walk to the right solution, not run to the wrong one". He has been plotting ways to save the club money and given United are teetering on the edge of the limits of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules, especially as they are set to miss out on the Champions League, cutbacks will need to be made across the squad.

Iraola has a track record for achieving a lot with a little and he could help United thrive with fewer resources. He also fits the mould for the model INEOS want to build, which envisages the coach only focusing on working with the players on the pitch and leaving recruitment to incoming sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

Iraola is a studious coach who loves to observe other teams and styles. He has developed a friendship with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, who came to watch his Rayo side train while he was on a sabbatical. He is also immersed in modern coaching technologies. He loves using 'Media Coach', a match data analytics and visualisation platform designed by La Liga, and laments the lack of an equivalent programme in England.

He has always kept a close eye on Bournemouth's physical data and the fact he knew his players were in good shape and could cope with his style of play allowed him to persist with his tactics in the knowledge they would soon pay off.

GettyMore impressive than Potter

Iraola's thirst for knowledge and self-improvement would also chime with INEOS' outlook. Director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford used data forensically while in charge of INEOS Grenadiers cycling team and its predecessor Team Sky and he and the other directors of Nice unearthed current coach Francesco Farioli after mining the data on his work in the Turkish Super Lig.

Brailsford is also reported to be a keen admirer of Graham Potter due to his scientific approach to coaching. Potter was a coach in the ascendancy until he took over at Chelsea, a club that in the last few years has proved just as unmanageable as United.

His ill-fated tenure at Stamford Bridge does not seem to have affected his standing at INEOS, and he is still in demand on the strength of his achievements with Brighton. But Iraola's record in less than a season with Bournemouth is even more impressive than Potter's work while on the south coast.

Brighton finished 15th in Potter's debut season after he succeeded Chris Hughton, then 16th, before coming ninth in his third. Bournemouth are already two points better off than they were at the end of last season and have seven games left. A top 10 finish is easily within reach, while a late push for European football cannot be ruled out. If INEOS are considering Potter for the Old Trafford dugout, then they should also be casting their eye over Iraola.