Bournemouth have sacked Gary O'Neil less than seven months after he was appointed as the club's permanent head coach - with former Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola quickly being appointed in his place.
Iraola lead Rayo to an 11th place finish in La Liga last season, with his contract running out at the end of the campaign. He has agreed a two-year deal with the Premier League outfit.
He earned promotion to the top flight in his first season with the Madrid club in 2020/21, before taking the team to the Copa Del Rey semi-finals in the following campaign.
He had previously taken Segunda División side Mirandés to the same stage of the domestic cup in 2019/20, for only the second time in the club's history. He started his managerial career in Cyprus with AEK Larnaca where he led his side to the group stage of the Europa League following a qualifying run that included a 4-0 aggregate win over Dundalk.
"We're so excited to welcome Andoni to the club," AFC Bournemouth owner and chairman Bill Foley said. "With his contract in Spain coming to an end this summer we wanted to act quickly.
"He was highly sought after by other clubs across the continent, and his style of play has been an important factor in making this decision. His achievements in Spain have certainly been very impressive, and we're confident that he is the right man to lead our next chapter."
O’Neil guided the Cherries to Premier League safety last season following the dismissal of Scott Parker at the end of August.
According to a club statement, the appointment of a new head coach will be announced imminently.
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley said: "Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for.
"This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season."
O’Neil initially took over from Parker on an interim basis following a 9-0 thrashing at Liverpool before being appointed permanently in November.
The 40-year-old took 36 points from his 34 top-flight games in charge to help the Cherries avoid relegation following promotion from the Championship.
"As a club, we have put plans in place for long-term success with improvements being made to infrastructure, most notably the development of a new state-of-the-art training facility and the ongoing discussions around upgrades to our stadium," continued the statement from American Foley, who completed his takeover of the south-coast club in December.
"We have also identified a number of significant targets in the transfer market this summer and believe this change in direction will provide us with the best platform from which to build.
"Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment in time, a change is in the best interests of this football club."
