ANDONI Iraola will leave the long-term planning to AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley and technical director-to-be Simon Francis, stating that he is “more focused on today”.

Cherries chairman Foley has been in the UK to take in Bournemouth’s most recent matches, which have seen Iraola’s side arrive on the cusp of mathematically securing a spot in next season’s Premier League.

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Iraola went onto detail some of the conversations he was having with his boss, but admitted that he was not privy to plans for pre-season and next season.

That is of his own accord, with the Basque head coach fully focused on Cherries’ final seven games.

He shared: “We’ve met.

“He’s here. He was doing some interviews and we have been lunching together here in the canteen, so we’ve been in touch.

“Talking about football and about other things. I’m sure he’s talking to Simon and preparing for next season, pre-season, whatever.

“But I am more focused on today. I have to be focused on today and tomorrow.

"Sometimes they ask me things about next season, but for me, the future is one week, two weeks, three weeks.

“That is the job of the coach, to focus in the things that are immediate and that is what I try to do.

“We have been talking about football.

“I think he is learning more things he likes every day about it. He is learning more things about the sport, about the squad, the opposition, the different teams we are facing.

“We are talking mostly about these things.”

Whilst Cherries are now all but safe with well over a month left of the season, the start of Iraola’s tenure saw Bournemouth go nine Premier League games without a win.

“You’d have to ask him, but I said it when we were in a worse place, I was always very thankful with them, because they had the patience,” restarted the former Athletic defender.

“They knew, even before me, and they were probably more calm and more patient than I was. I am happy that we could improve.

“We have been a team that have been growing and we are doing good things.

“But we have to continue growing, continue adding points and we’ll see where the standings put us at the end of the table.

“He (Foley) loves to win. That is a good thing.

“Everyone here, no matter the sport, we love to win. In the end, this is a competition and we all play to have a good time or to make everyone proud of what they are watching, but especially we want to win.”