Bournemouth pre-season ends with a draw against Real Sociedad in front of home fans at the Vitality Stadium, after what could be described as a rocky pre-season for the Cherries.
Putting aside the club’s, less-than-ideal results in the Premier League Summer Series,, the team’s performances gave fans some hope that the players are still capable of executing “Iraolaball” and full of running, as their first game of the season looms this Friday.
However, away from the pitch, fans have anxiously been refreshing their social media timelines to read up on the next unwanted Bournemouth outgoing.
With **Illia Zabarnyi**leaving for Paris Saint-Germain, it brings the first team exits total up to four; all formerly members of the defence.
With hopes to build on last season’s success, apprehension is high, so here is the Bournemouth preview by VAVEL.
Reliving the 2024/25 season
Andoni Iraola guided Bournemouth to their most successful campaign ever at the club, equalling a club-record finish of 9th in the Premier League,, and beating their previous record points tally of 48 to finish with 56.
It was a season filled with highs, eye-catching results, and scintillating performances that got the football community purring over the Cherries.
Doing the double over Arsenal, beating Manchester City for the first time in the league, smashing Newcastle United 4-1 at St James Park, and putting three past Manchester United on their home turf for the second season in a row, were just some of the memorable moments fans were treated to.
Iraola managed to squeeze the best out of his players, despite having to navigate the league’s worst injury crisis and still achieving an eleven-game unbeaten run.
Exhaustion may have ended up being the downfall of the Cherries, whose fans had dreams of qualifying for Europe until the last few games.
But despite this, it did not dampen spirits come the final game and fans will no doubt be recounting those Antoine Semenyo hits, that Dango Ouattara penalty, and **Dean Huijsen**’s ‘Chill Guy’ celebrations for years to come.
Read the full 2024/25 season review here.
Big outgoings, but even bigger incomings?
It has been a busy window for Bournemouth, with several key outgoings and plenty still to do.
After such a successful 2024/25 campaign, teams were always going to be sniffing around the Cherries.
However, many would not have expected the destruction that has occurred.
Huijsen was the first domino to fall, with the Spaniard’s move to Real Madrid all but complete before the final game of the season.
The 20-year-old joined the Spanish giants for a fee of around £49m.
**Iraola**’s side then completed errands, selling some of the club’s peripheral players with Jaidon Anthony, Mark Travers, and Joe Rothwell moving permanently.
At the same time, Daniel Jebbison and Max Aarons also departed on loans.
Bournemouth’s next big sale was Milos Kerkez, with the defender putting pen to paper for Liverpool in what had felt like an inevitable move.
Leaving alongside Huijsen, the Hungarian took the Cherries’ transfer sales to around £100m for the summer.
But this was not the end for defensive outgoings, with Zabarnyi leaving for European champions Paris Saint-Germain in recent days for £57m.
If things could not get more upsetting for Bournemouth fans, Dango Ouattara is reportedly looking to move on with Brentford interested and talks progressing.
Following several outgoings, the Cherries needed some incomings.
Adrien Truffert would become the first summer addition on the south coast, coming in as an instant replacement for Kerkez.
The flying full-back signed for the club for a fee of around £11m.
After a strong loan spell at the club, Kepa Arrizabalaga decided against sticking around at the Vitality Stadium, the Spaniard signing for **Mikel Arteta**’s Arsenal.
This meant that **Iraola**’s side had to delve into the goalkeeping market, and once again, a Chelsea keeper had caught the club’s attention.
With the club splashing a reported fee of £24m, Djordje Petrovic is the new man behind the sticks.
Petrovic joins the Cherries, having had a phenomenal spell in France for RC Strasbourg, registering 10 clean sheets in 31 **Ligue 1**appearances.
To address the central defence sales, the club decided to invest heavily in highly-rated LOSC Lille defender Bafodé Diakité for £35m, announced less than 24 hours ago.
Now looking towards the start of the season, the Cherries still have plenty to do and incomings continue to be the priority.
An attacker might also be a target, following the Summer Series, with a goal-scoring winger or attacking midfielder, potentially being the difference maker between a European and mid-table finish.
Written by Josh Wyatt-Jones.
One to watch: Eli Junior Kroupi
The Cherries have let go of three top defensive talents this summer and might need some effort to reconstruct their rearguard.
But without any major outgoings in the offence, the environment might be right to get the best out of an even younger player, who has been taking French football by storm.
Eli Junior Kroupi came on for Lorient at the end of the 2022/23 season in Ligue 1.
The only other players under 17 years old to feature in the division that campaign were Leny Yoro and Warren Zaire-Emery.
It was a sign of what was to come.
The forward signed for Bournemouth at the start of this year, and the transfer was completed midway through a barnstorming season with his boyhood club in Ligue 2.
Before he turned 19, Kroupi fired Lorient back to the topflight with 22 goals on the way to the top spot in the table.
From the left or through the middle of an attack, he has the hunger to arrive in areas in the final third where he can score and an eye for the corner of the net with shots from long range.
It is also worth noting what Iraola has done with his squad on the south coast.
The likes of Semenyo and Ouattara have thrived in a setup where the Spaniard embraces chaos and gives his forwards freedom to wreak havoc.
This could be the club’s next case of top notch recruitment.
Written by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
Cherries strongest XI
Predicting Bournemouth’s strongest XI is somewhat of a risky business these days with the club experiencing its busiest window of outgoings for a long time.
Moreover, many of the players leaving have been key pieces in the successful Cherries side of last season, particularly in the defence.
As well as this, we know that Iraola enjoys using his substitutes bench to impact games late on, which proved to be a very fruitful policy in the last campaign.
That being said, here is Bournemouth’s strongest XI as of writing:
Petrovic, Truffert, Senesi, Diakité, Smith, Cook, Christie, Kluivert, Semenyo, Tavernier, Evanilson.
There is unlikely to be any debate over the goalkeeping position, with Petrovic being the most experienced of the options and bought to replace Kepa.
In defence, fresh faces are likely, along with the newcomer Truffert, so this is hard to call as of now.
Both starting centre backs from last season have moved elsewhere, meaning new signing Diakité from France is likely to start alongside Marcos Senesi.
Currently, the midfield is experiencing an injury crisis, so whilst this is the best combination in the middle, for the first game of the season, it is likely to be made up of Tyler Adams, Alex Scott, and Hamed Traore, considering no recoveries in the next few days.
At the top, Evanilson and Semenyo are nailed on to start but there could be a debate over whether it should be Tavernier or Ouattara, who offer different styles of play.
Tavernier is arguably better suited to Iraola’s style of play and with a possible Ouattara exit incoming, this will be the Cherries’ best option.
More “Iraolaball” to come
Iraola is unlikely to stray from his trademark approach, rooted in the Marcelo Bielsa-inspired philosophy he honed during his Athletic Club Bilbao days.
Supporters can expect the same exhilarating, high-tempo football built on relentless movement, both on and off the ball, and an aggressive press that suffocates opponents.
Judging by pre-season performances, the squad already looks well-drilled, fit, and ready to execute his demands from the opening day.
The signing of Truffert to replace Kerkez underlines that commitment to attacking full-backs.
Truffert brings pace, aggression, and a willingness to push high, showing glimpses of sharp overlapping and underlapping runs, hallmarks of **Kerkez**’s game last season.
His arrival ensures Iraola’s system retains its width and dynamism on the flanks.
If there is one area in need of refinement, it is the finishing, however.
Last season, Bournemouth carved out chance after chance, yet too often lacked the clinical edge to turn dominance into goals.
Adding a sharper “Midas touch” in front of goal could see them take another step forward.
Set pieces are likely to remain a potent weapon.
Bournemouth’s tactical schemes proved a thorn in the side of top opponents, Brentford and Arsenal amongst them last year, and this is likely to remain a core part of their play.
Ultimately, fans can expect a familiar brand of bold, high-energy football in the season ahead, sprinkled with the occasional tactical surprise to keep opponents (and fans) guessing.
Drama-free mid table finish expected
Since joining the club in 2023, the Basque Head Coach has exceeded all expectations, guiding the club to a record points haul and into the conversation for European qualification.
Stereotypically, the Cherries are a small fish in a big pond, but in recent times, Iraola has started to change that.
Finishing 9th in the table last season was an outstanding triumph, but coming into the 2025/26 campaign, Bournemouth’s goals will be different.
Expectations have increased.
Bournemouth now expect to be solid and comfortable in the table, potentially even challenging for the top positions in the top-flight.
However, next season in particular, the Cherries also need to adapt and rebuild as a team, following the departures of Huijsen, Zabarnyi, and Kerkez.
Diakité looks set to become one of those adaptions, joining the club as an initial replacement for their previous central defensive duo.
On the other hand, Bournemouth are reportedly also in the market for another central defender and a winger this window.
As things stand, plenty of work must be done in the transfer department, with those answers likely to dictate Bournemouth's season.
Due to the amount of change, Iraola’s side might not be aiming for a spot in the European race, despite it being the long-term goal of owner Bill Foley.
In and around mid-table seems to be a reasonable return for the Cherries, not flirting with the lower ends of the table, but also not reaching the dizzy heights of 2025.
If Bournemouth can finish in the top half of the table, that would be a fantastic achievement.
Nevertheless, for a young squad, another year of maturing and building under Iraola will not do any harm to the project.
Written by Josh Wyatt-Jones.