Former Bournemouth midfielder Joe Partington says assistant coaches Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper will be “sorely missed”, if they follow Andoni Iraola out of the Vitality Stadium doors this summer.
Iraola, who left the Cherries at the end of the season, has already reached a verbal agreement to become Liverpool’s next head coach following the sacking of Arne Slot.
Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Partington said: “Losing Andoni Iraola is obviously enormous enough, but when you add in Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper – and the great work they have done over the past few years – it is going to be a big hit for Bournemouth.
“Those two guys know the club inside out. They were part of completely different eras at the club as players. The influence the pair of them have on the team is enormous.
“I don’t think either of them really knew what was going on at the end of the season. I’m sure their futures were as up in the air as Andoni Iraola’s.
“What they achieved this year, as coaches, was probably beyond their wildest dreams when they started working at the club.
“Shaun Cooper was fast-tracked within the academy quite quickly because people were impressed with him as soon as he started coaching. He was actually someone I leaned on for advice when I first started my career. He was the guy I wanted to play like and be like, so I went out of my way to get advice from him.
“Tommy Elphick then joined the club and essentially became the spearhead for the success that it had going from League One to the Premier League. He has played that leader role since the day he arrived, even leading the team huddles before kick-off.
“The pair of them will be sorely missed, but I can see the pull of having an impact on one of the world’s biggest clubs in Liverpool. I would say it is too big of an opportunity to turn down for them.”
Listen to the full conversation above or listen on BBC Sounds