'Happy' Iraola focused on Bournemouth amid Spurs talk

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said he is happy at the south coast side and is hoping to make history at the club as they chase their first major trophy, amid media speculation linking the Spaniard with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

With Spurs languishing 14th in the Premier League after 29 matches and bowing out of the FA Cup and League Cup under boss Ange Postecoglou, news reports this week said Iraola was a top managerial target for the North London side if they part ways with the Australian.

The Europa League is Spurs' only hope of winning silverware this season in what would be the club's first trophy since winning the League Cup in 2008.

The 43-year-old Iraola, who joined Bournemouth in June 2023, has helped the club reach the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they will host Manchester City on Sunday. His side are also looking to qualify for European football for the first time and are five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in 10th spot.

Asked if he can achieve all his management goals at Bournemouth, Iraola told reporters on Friday: "I want to do my job the best I can. I don't know how far we can go, where we will finish. I want to do my job the best I can.

"If I don't do the job very well, they will find someone else. I'm really happy here. We have a great opportunity to make history and it would be amazing for me personally, for the club to achieve new heights, but we know that we have to be realistic.

"There are better teams than us and we have to fight against teams that are very good. We will try to give the best level we have."

Iraola was also asked about 19-year-old centre back Dean Huijsen, who has been linked with a move to top European clubs after an impressive first season at Bournemouth.

Dutch-born Huijsen made his international debut for Spain against the Netherlands in the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals on March 20.

"We are not surprised (with the reports), probably because he has now made his national team debut, 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."