Bournemouth took the football landscape by surprise on Monday when they dismissed manager Gary O'Neil, the man who guided them to the safety of 15th place in the Premier League last season.

Chairman Bill Foley admitted that it was a "difficult decision", but he sacked O'Neil to "best position" the club for the 2023-24 campaign.

As it proved, a replacement had already been lined up in the shape of Andoni Iraola, who had recently left his post as Rayo Vallecano boss.

Iraola opted against signing a new contract with the La Liga side, opening the door to a new challenge which has now cropped up on England's South coast.

For those that do not follow La Liga, Iraola will be regarded as an unknown quantity, but in Spain, he is viewed as an exciting young manager.

Following his appointment on a two-year deal, Sports Mole has taken a look at Iraola's journey to the Premier League.

Athletic Bilbao Stalwart

Iraola spent the majority of his playing career at Basque outfit Athletic Bilbao where he made over 500 appearances.

The right-back was part of a Marcelo Bielsa side that reached the final of both the Copa del Rey and Europa League in the 2011-12 campaign.

Athletic Bilbao ultimately ran out of steam, losing 3-0 to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the domestic cup and Europa League respectively.

Iraola went close to winning silverware with Los Leones on three separate occasions, suffering a 5-1 aggregate defeat against Barcelona in the 2009 Spanish Super Cup and finishing runners-up in the Copa del Rey in 2009 and 2015.

From Cyprus to Segunda

Iraola's started his managerial journey in Cyprus in 2018, taking over an AEK Larnaca side that had just won the Cypriot Cup.

It proved to be a mixed and fleeting experience, which included a penalty-shootout victory over APOEL Nicosia to lift the first Super Cup in AEK Larnaca's history.

Despite claiming silverware, his first foray into management was brought to an end in January 2019 when he was sacked following a poor run of form.

After taking some time to reflect on his time in Cyprus, he returned to his homeland to take charge of second division side Mirandes.

Iraola led a team that had just won promotion from the third tier to a respectable mid-table finish, but it was in the Copa del Rey where he began to showcase his coaching credentials.

Mirandes got the better of Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Villarreal to reach the semi-final stage for just the second time in their history, before they were eventually defeated by Real Sociedad.

Magic in Vallecas

Iraola left Mirandes at the end of his contract in 2020 and was subsequently appointed head coach at Rayo Vallecano, who were also plying their trade in the second tier.

In his first season with the side from Vallecas, Rayo finished in sixth position, securing a place in the Segunda playoffs.

Leganes, who finished in third place, were easily dispatched, as Rayo cruised to a 5-1 aggregate victory to set up a final tie with Girona.

Their La Liga hopes were left hanging by a thread when Girona claimed a narrow 2-1 victory in Vallecas, but Rayo produced a superb away performance at Estadi Montilivi to record a 2-0 win and seal promotion to La Liga.

There was an expectation that Rayo would return immediately to the second tier, however, rather than flirt with the drop zone in their first season back in the top flight, Iraola had his side dreaming of European qualification.

Their ambitious European hopes fizzled out in the second half of the season, as they went on to win just two of their final 15 league games.

Rayo's dip in form was a by-product of a memorable run to the Copa del Rey semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners Real Betis.

There was a sense that after a positive season, Rayo would be faced with a reality check in the 2022-23 campaign, but Iraola had other ideas.

He lifted his players and once again Rayo exceeded expectations in a season that included home victories over Real Madrid and Barcelona.

In fact, Rayo were the only La Liga team that managed to avoid defeat against a Barcelona side that went on to win the league title.

Los Franjirrojos held the Catalan giants to a goalless draw at Camp Nou, before claiming a 2-1 victory in April's reverse fixture.

Despite going into their final match of the campaign with the chance of qualifying for the Europa Conference League, Rayo finished in 12th place for the second straight season after losing four of their final five matches.

Premier League challenge

Iraola, who was linked with the Leeds United job in February, decided that it was time for a change after three successful years in Vallecas and subsequently turned down Rayo's offer of an extension.

The 40-year-old will now turn his attention to a fresh challenge after becoming the latest Basque manager to make the switch to the Premier League.

Bournemouth will certainly be enthused by the fact that Iraola managed to work miracles on a limited budget at Rayo, who are widely regarded as one of La Liga's worst-run clubs with an unpopular president in Martin Presa.

Iraola will now experience the riches that the Premier League has to offer, and in a stable environment where he can build a side that matches his aggressive style of play.

The Cherries should be an exciting team to watch next term with Iraola keen for his teams to press high up the pitch and force the opposition into mistakes.

There may be a concern that in the last two seasons, Rayo lost momentum in the final stretch, but Bournemouth will hope to add strength-in-depth to deal with those worries.

Similar to Rayo, Bournemouth are small in stature compared to their Premier League rivals, but the recent managerial change suggests that they have lofty ambitions, and this promising young coach could be just the man to make Bournemouth's dreams come true.