Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has addressed his future amid talk that he is a potential managerial target for Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has seen his position come under scrutiny after overseeing a disappointing Premier League campaign.
Tottenham are languishing in the bottom half of the table after mustering just 34 points from their 29 league matches this season.
While they reached the EFL Cup semi-final, Tottenham were dumped out of the FA Cup at the third round stage by Aston Villa.
Their campaign will now be measured by their progress in the Europa League, and there appears to be a possibility that the Spurs hierarchy could reassess Postecoglou’s future in the summer if they fail to win the UEFA competition.
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Iraola comments on Bournemouth future
According to The Athletic, Tottenham have placed Iraola at the top of their managerial wishlist if they decide to part ways with Postecoglou at the end of the season.
Iraola was reluctant to directly discuss the recent rumours in Friday’s media duties ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City.
However, he insisted he is “happy” at the Vitality Stadium when asked about whether he can achieve his coaching goals at Bournemouth.
“I want to do my job the best I can,” Iraola told reporters. “If I don’t do the job very well, they will find someone else who does the job, and it’s like this in every job.
“I’m really happy here. We have a great opportunity to go to the semi-finals for the first time in our history, and it would be amazing for me personally, and for the club to achieve new heights.
“But we know that we have to be also realistic, that there are better teams than us and we have to fight against teams that are very good, and we will try to give the best level we have.”
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Iraola responds to Huijsen transfer links
Iraola is not the only person being linked with a move away from the South Coast, with recent speculation suggesting that defender Dean Huijsen is a defensive target for Real Madrid.
Huijsen has admitted it is an honour to be linked with the Spanish giants, while Justin Kluivert dropped a bombshell when he suggested that he does not believe his teammate will still be at Bournemouth next season.
The 19-year-old is suspended for Sunday’s FA Cup clash, but Iraola was still asked about the defender’s future in his pre-match press conference.
“We are not surprised, probably because he has now made his national team debut [with Spain], he has played well, probably they are talking more about him,” Iraola said.
“He has been playing consistently, and I think he has performed very well. He has faced very difficult forwards but we already knew he was a very good player when he came in the summer.”
Huijsen, who recently made his international debut for Spain, is understood to have a £50m release clause in his Bournemouth contract.
