Down on the southern coastline of England, over the past couple of campaigns, Bournemouth have undoubtedly cemented themselves as the modern day example of a well-run football club, that all other teams should aspire to replicate. Despite being arguably the ‘smallest’ club in the premiership, they still continue to display their world class scouting networks and genius recruitment of tacticos, capable of playing some of the world’s most well-drilled teams in England, and possibly now Europe, off the pitch. With this, they are surely on track for another year of overachieving and unprecedented progression?
Under Iraola - An overview of previous seasons
After finishing 9th in the 24/25 term and then 6th in the following 25/26 outing, Andoni Iraola has worked wonders and only needed these two seasons to implement his sweeping, counter-attacking play into the club and pull The Cherries out of the ‘mediocre’ category of footballing sides. Instead of having Philip Billing as their primary attacking midfielder, although I am sure he is a capable footballer, on their hands now is one of the footballing world’s most sought after prodigies: named Eli Junior Kroupi, aged 20 who secured himself a handsome 13 goals in the last and his first Premier League campaign.
This is unmistakably as a result of the club’s glaringly obvious investments into its youth scouts who have been sent out to scour the globe for the next big thing. Consequently, this has allowed them to drastically improve the squad and its depth, even through the hindrances of having their defensive line stripped from under their nose, in the summer of 2025, losing goalkeeper Kepa, centrebacks Huijsen and Zabarnyi and marauding left back Kerkez. These gaping holes were effortlessly closed up with the recruitment of talented wingback Adrien Truffert, plus Chelsea’s Petrovic and the integration of Marcos Senesi and James Hill into the starting 11, who all played major roles in their groundbreaking Europa League finish as well as the fluid playstyle Iraola wished to introduce to the league, which we will dig deeper into imminently…
Sweeping. The word I have used already, yes, however it encapsulates everything about this Bournemouth side and how they play smooth yet accurate and jaw-droppingly swift football.On paper fullbacks, yet truly wingers, were given free reign to race up and down their flank, overlapping and underlapping their corresponding winger, whipping in inviting crosses like there was no tomorrow, and this is visible in the stats. In the 24/25 season, The Cherries ranked second in the league for accurate crosses per match (5.2), whilst unsurprisingly this trend carried on into the following season, where Truffert placed second in the league, out of all players, for total crosses attempted, with 141. Moreover, Bournemouth played with one of the highest intensities in the league, with each player tasked with one simple goal when not on the ball, win it back, fast. Iraola was asking a lot of his players, but they executed everything with perfection over his reign, as in the 24/25 and 25/26 terms, Bournemouth finished the season first and third in possession won in the final third (per 90), respectively. Simultaneously, according to Opta, Iraola’s men were fifth in the league during last season for ‘passes per defensive action’ - PPDA - meaning that they only allowed the opposition 11.1 passes (on average) before Bournemouth attempted to win the ball back. Additionally, The Cherries then used this rapid tempo pressing style to fuel fast moving counter attacks, where they topped the charts for total direct attacks over the course of the 25/26 season (83) which led to 6 goals, also best in the league.
In conclusion, Bournemouth have successfully outlined their intent on the pitch and style of play to avid football watchers up and down the country, like myself, with sleek and effortless counter attacking moves, involving a high, unplayable press, utilizing their vast and superior scouting network to source the finest wonderkids the world has to offer
The key man - Eli Junior Kroupi
If we flash back to this time last year, no one had even heard of this young man, yet what a surprise we were in for. During his maiden year in English football, the Frenchman continued to amaze us with his talent, displaying his long range shooting ability, which he skillfully unleashed against Manchester City and also Arsenal, as well as his clinicality, scoring 13 goals from only an xG of 8.4, across the 25/26 season. With these 13, all well taken goals, Kroupi has rooted himself into the history books, for now, as he became the highest scoring teenager, over one season, in premier league history. Furthermore, focusing purely on players in the top flight who play in a similar position to Kroupi Jr, the youngster placed 2nd in the league for goals scored, topped only by Morgan Gibbs-White, and first or shots on target per 90 with 1.2.
With all things taken into account, Eli Junior Kroupi will most definitely become The Cherries’ star player after an extremely promising first year in the most demanding league in world football, which he seemed to have years of experience in, despite his youth. He consistently showcased his ability to take matches by the scruff of the neck and make them his own and will most certainly continue to develop into a more rounded and game-changing talisman, as he gains more minutes under his belt and with each one obtaining more maturity as well as skill.
The annual fleecing and the load of european football
Despite the seemingly hopeful tone I have used up to this point, the potential underlying flaw for Bournemouth lies in this section of the article - the loss of key team members, including even the manager this time. In a similar fashion to the summer transfer window following the 24/25 season, The Cherries have been made to surrender to larger clubs once again: losing Semenyo, Senesi and Iraola to City, Spurs and Liverpool respectively. To make matters worse, David Ornstein recently broke the news that Kroupi has suffered a foot injury, will undergo surgery and subsequently will miss the opening 3/4 months of the season. Guess what, there’s more. Extremely impressive and technical midfielder Alex Scott has also recently turned down a contract proposal from the higher-ups at Bournemouth, as giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United lurk optimistically, waiting for their time to swoop in and pick him up for themselves. Despite proving that they can replenish their dismantled squad once before, am I sure they can do it once again?
Well I’m not entirely convinced. Losing Marcos Senesi, who in my opinion was up there with the likes of Arsenal’s Gabriel for best centre half in the league last year, is unexplainably damaging. According to Opta, Senesi led the pack for defensive contributions last year amongst defenders with 418, (this counts for Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions and Tackles). Additionally, the Argentine accumulated the most assists out of all centre backs in the league during the 25/26 campaign (5), self appointing himself as The Cherries’ key playmaker, sparking attacking sequences by consistently spraying long balls, straight or diagonal, over the top of the opposition’s defence, leading to many goal scoring opportunities and ultimately points which helped them to reach a record breaking 6th position finish.
What’s more, an underwhelming and bleak transfer window, in terms of incomings, thus far, does not make the horizon feel any brighter. Up to the time of writing, Bournemouth have brought in Uruguayan striker Alvaro Rodriguez, from Elche, and young, Portuguese centre back, Antonio Silva. Whilst I am nowhere near qualified enough to question the land’s best scouts and sporting director and despite how much of a bargain these two youngsters may prove to be, in comparison to outgoings, this duo signing doesn't feel quite enough. Maybe in a month from now as the transfer window draws to a close, my stance on their arrivals will have transformed completely, however if no further action is taken, Bournemouth may find themselves in a bit of a tricky situation, after unsuccessfully managing to patch over holes left by the injured and departed.
Lastly, there is one final element of hazard for the southerners we must discuss, which you would’ve guessed from the subheading, that is entering into the uncharted territory of European football and how well the Dorset club will be able to deal and adapt to its additional load onto the already crammed football schedule. Skipping the introductory level to Europe, being the conference league, Bournemouth have jumped straight into the deep end as they venture into, instead, the Europa League, where teams as decorated as former Champions League victors Juventus and AC Milan loom large. With this additional, minimum of 8 games placed on top of the 18 Premier League matches, a possible five Carabao Cup matches and one FA Cup match, accumulating to 32 matches within a space of 157 days, The Cherries will now, on average, play a match every 5 days - rounded up from 4.9. Consequently, the likelihood of a drop in levels in the Premier League or Europa League (depending on which one they decide to prioritise) spikes massively, due to the fact that, one, Bournemouth’s squad depth is not at that level just yet and two, the players simply have never had this pressure and ridiculous calendar imposed on them, meaning the true level of some players will come to light as they fail to deal with the requirements of European football.
The final verdict
In summary, after dissecting the ins and outs of transfer activity to previous campaigns at The Vitality, my closing judgement is set. Contrary to my description of potential hindrances that could deal damage to Bournemouth’s strive towards greatness, I do in fact believe they will effectively recruit between now and when the transfer window slams shut. Additionally, I can proudly back them to continue their overachievance in the Premier League, with unmentioned stars such as Rayan and Marcus Tavernier will most definitely continue to develop and provide goals and assistance throughout the season. Overall, I foresee a largely successful campaign on the cards for The Cherries, which will however not live up to the incredibly demanding standards they set for themselves last year. For me, AFC Bournemouth will finish this coming Premier League season in a comfortable 8th position after having to make way for an overhauled Spurs side and a Chelsea team who find themselves under new management and therefore on the path towards redemption. Speaking on their European football conquest, I believe that the Cherries will enlist new soldiers sufficiently to create a capable squad, which will unfortunately fall just short of a chance to play for a trophy in the semi finals, when they meet their match in a simply more experienced collection of players. After all, it would be quite the achievement for a club who couldn’t even call themselves a Premier League side a mere 4 years ago.
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