Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 9th
Prospects
Three months ago, Bournemouth won at Arsenal for the first time to maintain their hopes of qualifying for Europe with three games to go. It was an impressive comeback victory built on set pieces, Dean Huijsen heading the equaliser from Antoine Semenyo’s long throw – cue the Chill Guy meme celebration – before Evanilson poked in a scruffy but well-worked winner from a corner.
Bournemouth came up short in their quest to play in Europe as a positive season fizzled out after three wins from their final 15 matches. And now three of their back five from that day have departed – Huijsen for Real Madrid, Milos Kerkez for Liverpool and Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was on loan from Chelsea, for Arsenal. The expectation is that Illia Zabarnyi will become the next high-profile exit, with Paris Saint-Germain pushing to sign the 22-year-old.
The fact Bournemouth sold Huijsen to Real in a £50m deal after a single season and 36 appearances serves as a reminder of the club’s journey across the last decade, and their continued eye for smart business. The thing worth remembering is that while it appears Bournemouth have been decimated, those on the inside recognise this is how their buy-low, sell-high model works. The downside is the breakup of a brilliant, buccaneering defence.
Whether Bournemouth can cope with a flurry of key departures remains to be seen but this summer they moved to find a permanent goalkeeping solution in Djordje Petrovic, a £25m signing from Chelsea. Finding a commanding No 1 capable of holding down the position had been a priority after acknowledging the stability rival clubs had gained from making similar moves. Petrovic, who shone on loan at Strasbourg last season, would appear a solid platform on which to build. But for a team that operated with a thin squad last season, it is impossible to shake the sense that starting over represents a daunting task.
The manager
Andoni Iraola led Bournemouth to 56 points last season, their record tally in the top flight, as they finished ninth, equalling their best finish. His appointment two years ago, driven by the now Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, has proved a masterstroke and last term enhanced the reputation of Iraola, the definition of a hands-on coach, among rivals. The 43-year-old is into the final 12 months of his contract and while he prefers working on rolling contracts, another extension is up in the air. Iraola, who does a good line in self-deprecation, is a self-confessed fidget: he clicks a multi-colour pen throughout interviews and tapes over some of his fingers for superstitious reasons. “It’s stupid,” he said. “But I have done it for so many years that I continue doing it.”
Off-field picture
Bournemouth’s 80-year-old billionaire owner, Bill Foley, flew from the US in April to formally open the club’s £35m state-of-the-art training complex and on the same visit he shared another welcome nugget: he has agreed a deal to buy their Vitality Stadium home, allowing Bournemouth to expand its capacity to about 20,000. The Cherries have been locked into an onerous lease with the property company Structadene, which bought the ground in 2005, then known as Dean Court, for £3.5m, a deal that helped the club avoid administration. Foley – via his Black Knight consortium – added the Portuguese club Moreirense to his stable, which includes investments in Lorient, Hibernian and Auckland FC.
Star signing
There was so much noise about Kerkez’s departure for Liverpool that the arrival of his replacement, signed before Kerkez officially headed for Anfield, went under the radar. Adrien Truffert has the tools to be a breakout star in the Premier League. Bournemouth sealed the signing of the 23-year-old Belgium-born left-back for an initial £11.4m from Rennes, a fee the Cherries – and some of their top-flight rivals who have tracked the full-back – regard a snip given his profile. Truffert, capped once by France in 2022, was captain of Rennes and made his 150th Ligue 1 appearance in May. Perhaps it is a quirk of fate that as a toddler he lived in Bournemouth for a year with his family.
Stepping up
Daniel Adu-Adjei spent the first half of last season on loan at the bottom of League Two, scoring two goals in 17 appearances for relegated Carlisle, so it would be quite the jump if he is involved. The 20-year-old striker, born in Hammersmith to Ghanaian parents, has impressed in pre-season, scoring against Everton, and trained regularly with the first team at the beginning of this year. His father, William, regards Tony Yeboah as one of his closest friends, while Daniel is studying a nutrition course funded by the Professional Footballers’ Association, his go-to dish a BBQ pulled chicken burger. “At Carlisle, I lived by myself and had to cook all my dinners so I learned a lot,” he said.
A big season for …
Few players had as satisfying a summer as Alex Scott. Even an awkward face mask, the result of a fractured jaw sustained against Aston Villa in May, could not dampen his spirits. Scott starred for England as Lee Carsley’s under-21s won the European Championship in Slovakia, starting all five matches, though he was forced off through injury in the final. Bournemouth paid Bristol City £25m to sign Scott two years ago but his progress has been stop-start and he began only eight matches last season, largely owing to a lengthy knee injury. Scott, 22 this month, is a throwback midfielder, a cute passer with an endearing appetite to get his hands dirty. Everybody is craving to see more of his talent.
