Curtis Jones: Andoni Iraola's Clear Commitment to Liverpool Star
Andoni Iraola did not bother with diplomacy on day one. He walked into his first Liverpool press conference and planted a flag: Curtis Jones matters – and he wants him at Anfield for the long haul.
A new manager, a familiar dilemma
Jones’ situation has hovered over Liverpool’s summer like a low cloud. One year left on his contract. Two bids from Inter Milan knocked back. Fresh noise from Italy suggesting Nottingham Forest had struck a deal for the 25-year-old. The kind of steady drip that usually signals an exit is edging closer.
Then came the raised eyebrow.
Jones’ response on social media to those Forest reports – a single emoji – said plenty. He did not spell it out, but the message was obvious enough: not so fast.
Now his new head coach has added his own, far more direct, intervention.
Iraola nails his colours to the mast
“I rate Curtis very highly. For me he is a great, great player and I hope he can continue with us and continue performing the way he has been performing,” Iraola said, outlining his stance with zero ambiguity.
That was not a throwaway line to appease a local lad on day one. He doubled down.
“It’s very important that he’s Scouse, that he’s from here. I also like the personality. From the outside at least, he looks like a player with good character and I hope we can keep him, not only for this year but for more time.”
In a few sentences, Iraola hit three points Liverpool supporters care about: talent, character, roots. He knows what Anfield values. He also knows what he inherits.
A 228-game career still searching for certainty
Jones is 25 with 228 first-team appearances behind him, yet he has never been truly nailed on as a starter. Over the last two Premier League seasons, he has begun just under half of Liverpool’s league fixtures. Important, but not untouchable. Trusted, but often rotated.
For a boyhood Red, that raises an awkward question: how much do the club really see him as central to the next era?
The answer from Iraola, at least in public, is emphatic. He spoke repeatedly about the need for depth, about a squad that can absorb injuries, suspensions, and the demands of a long season. In that context, letting a homegrown midfielder in his prime walk away would be a strange kind of self-sabotage.
Jones is not a prospect anymore. He is entering the years where a midfielder should be at his sharpest. Liverpool have already done the hard work of developing him. Losing that now, when the new coach clearly sees him as a key piece, would be a gift to a rival.
Contract questions and a crucial conversation
This is where the story moves from boardroom to dressing room. Iraola confirmed he would sit down with Jones on Monday. That conversation may prove more significant than any rejected bid.
The club can put an offer on the table. The manager can make his case. But Jones still has to decide whether he wants to tie his peak years to a club that has never fully guaranteed him a place, even if this new regime clearly values him.
What Iraola has done, on day one, is remove any doubt about his own stance. He wants Curtis Jones. He wants the Scouser, the character, the player who has already lived the pressure of Anfield. Not just for this season. For “more time”.
The next move belongs to the midfielder. Does he see his future written into Iraola’s Liverpool, or does he test how much those rejected bids really mean somewhere else?
