[Getty Images]Andoni Iraola's future has dominated headlines for the last few months with no clarity from either Bournemouth or the man himself over whether he will renew his contract, which expires at the end of the season.Speaking on the Cherries Unpicked podcast, former Bournemouth midfielder Joe Partington says he still has "hope" that Iraola will decide to stay at the Vitality Stadium beyond this season, despite not committing his future yet."The conversations would certainly have happened and if you were going to [sign a contract], by now surely you would have. "I still hold out hope because he's not said he's not going to stay.

It's not over until the fat lady sings, I suppose, and the Bournemouth fans will hold out hope because they've not had any news that it could still mean it's positive. I think in these situations, historically, no news is bad news."When asked about the Bournemouth boss being linked to Premier League rivals, Partington said: "They're in direct competition with those clubs. The Fulhams, the Crystal Palaces, the Brightons, for example, are the clubs that are in that bracket that are hoping to achieve consistent European qualification in the Premier League."They find good players, they sell their players for more and Bournemouth are very much in that bracket. And they're very much, off the back of this result, in the conversation for a European place, which would be epic."Listen to the full episode on BBC SoundsExplore more Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds