Bournemouth owner Bill Foley says technical director Richard Hughes was the driver of manager Andoni Iraola's appointment.

Iraola turned down Leeds United last season before agreeing to leave Rayo Vallecano for the Cherries over the summer.

Foley told Men in Blazers: “It was really a style of play that we were engaging in.

“We were really a counter-attacking team. I felt we needed to be on the offence.

“We needed to be aggressive, we needed to attack. That's Andoni's style.

“He's a (Marcelo) Bielsa student and fast-paced.

“When we had the opportunity, it came to us from Richard Hughes, our technical director. He came to myself and to Neill Blake, the CEO, and then we started talking about it.

“I said if we don't do this now, we may never have the chance to do this again.

“We just need to be aggressive and we need to be willing to make change. If you don't make change, then you're not going to be successful."

Foley added: “First I listened to Richard Hughes and to Simon Francis, one of his top assistants.

“They were intrigued by Andoni. They convinced Neill Blake that this was a move that we have a chance to do, we have a chance to make and if we don't make this move, we're going to regret it in the future.

“That's really all they had to tell me.

“I did a little research on Andoni and I was satisfied that he would be an agent of change and that's what I always look for, how can we change, be more effective and constantly improve.

“I believe he's going to do it.

“People say you may have made a mistake. I said, if I've made a mistake, it's on me, I'll take responsibility, because I was involved in the decision-making process."