How Andoni Iraola is the Marc Guehi to Alexander Isak’s ‘vindicated’ Oliver Glasner

If Oliver Glasner is the managerial January equivalent to Alexander Isak, then Andoni Iraola has taken to his casting as the next Marc Guehi impeccably.

They are comparisons which just about bear the mildest scrutiny if you squint hard enough and have deadlines to meet to appease your editor: individuals who have shown themselves capable of over-performing in the Premier League’s mid-to-upper table, whose obvious excellence has a tantalising sense of scalability that the country’s biggest and most attractive teams struggle to resist.

Isak agitated for his dream move, chipped away at his previously unblemished reputation and impacted his career, at least in the short term; Guehi waited patiently, performed admirably and largely kept his counsel before being rewarded further down the line.

Glasner has taken a torch to his Crystal Palace legacy while entering a sham marriage which cannot possibly last the season; Iraola’s response in similar circumstances has been one of humility and professionalism.

And it is easy to see how Premier League chairmen might take those traits into account if and when both managers become available upon the expiration of their contracts in the summer.

For all those Palace have sold under Glasner, Iraola could point to two or three more he has lost to the eternal Bournemouth rough diamond polishing scheme: of the six players with the most minutes for the Cherries in 2024/25, only Lewis Cook remains. Four have been moved on at an absurd profit and another was returned to his loan club.

Iraola has had to deal with the loss of almost his entire first-choice defence, the departure of versatile forward Dango Ouattara and the mid-season exit of comfortably Bournemouth’s best player in Antoine Semenyo.

There have been consequences, felt greatest during an 11-game winless streak which dampened Champions League expectations and recalibrated their objectives somewhat.

Bournemouth should target mid-table safety, but equally are within touching distance of the European places following wins over Spurs and Liverpool and a draw against Brighton.

But that would still be some achievement given what Iraola has had to manage – and what Glasner is struggling to match.

They are likely to be part of the same conversations in Premier League boardrooms over the summer, by which point Iraola’s intentions will be as clear as Glasner’s. But the key difference lies in how the Bournemouth manager will not risk derailing the entire season by making them public in a rant which splits the fanbase, dressing room and club down the middle.

That could genuinely put Iraola ahead of Glasner in the eyes of many an executive; as depressing as it is, compatibility with and acceptance of one’s crucial but modest role in the modern football machine will appeal more than a tendency to rock the boat and rage against the food chain.

Isak’s approach to forcing his way out of Newcastle was supposedly vindicated, yet him and Guehi have ultimately reached roughly the same destination and the latter is in the far better position months later.

It feels like the contrast between Glasner’s abrasive approach to contract expiry and Iraola’s decision to knuckle down could produce a similar effect for two managers punching below their potential weight.