How Bournemouth built a team ready for Europe
With two teenagers leading the charge and a highly sought-after coach at the helm, the Cherries may have lost several starters but they are looking to secure European football for the first time in club history
It’s about time we talked about AFC Bournemouth. A decade on from their first-ever season in the English top flight, the Cherries have not only gradually established themselves as a genuine Premier League side – they have also managed to build an identity that has seen them compete for a European spot over the last two years.
Not long ago, in December 2023, just a few months after returning to the top tier following two seasons in the Championship, Bournemouth’s billionaire owner, Bill Foley, raised some eyebrows by claiming that his team will be playing European football sooner than many would expect.
“I want Bournemouth to play in Europe – that’s our goal,” Foley told the Guardian at the time. “It’s not going to be easy but I’m confident we can get there. Brighton are a great inspiration, they do a terrific job. I certainly think we can be in Europe within five years.”
Less than two and a half years later, Bournemouth sit sixth in the table with only three games to go. Their 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend saw them extend their unbeaten run to 15 games (W7 D8) – the longest active streak of any team across the top-five leagues, as well as the club’s longest ever in the Premier League.
Departures of key players didn’t affect the project
Most importantly, they managed this feat despite losing half of the starting XI which led Bournemouth to a club joint-high ninth-place finish last term.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s one-season loan deal came to an end, with Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Ilya Zabarnyi securing big moves to European powerhouses Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively. Those three departures meant that Bournemouth had lost three of their four starting defenders, who formed a backline that conceded a joint-fifth low 46 goals in 2024/25.
In mid-August, Bournemouth saw first-choice winger Dango Ouattara also part ways with the team to join Brentford and less than six months later, they lost the team’s main star, Antoine Semenyo, to Manchester City. Coming off a campaign where he recorded 11 goals and seven six in the Premier League, Semenyo hit the ground running this season, bagging 10 goals in 20 league games before moving to the Etihad as one of the most in-form forwards in the country.
One may wonder how on the earth has that team survived a highly-competitive Premier League – let alone figuring in one of the European spot in early May. The answer can be summed up in two words: Andoni Iraola.
The man behind the club’s success
Having built a strong side that has become accustomed to pulling upsets against league powerhouses, the Basque tactician has been hailed for his philosophy and the team’s style of play, as he’s entering the last few weeks as a Bournemouth coach ahead of an announced departure in the summer.
Iraola is the pillar of a project that has turned them into a team that is fun to watch – a side every neutral fan could catch themselves support after tuning on a random Saturday afternoon game due to their entertaining, high-octane brand of football.
“We were always sticking with the plan. I was sticking with Andoni … honestly, I didn’t care if we lost every game,” Foley added after being ask about Bournemouth failing to win each of their first nine games of the 2023/24 campaign.
“I am convinced that his style of play is exactly what we need to be competitive, to be the small guy and compete with the big guys. We are not a sovereign wealth fund and we don’t have that kind of backing, so we have to do it differently. I was totally on board and convinced he was the bright solution for us and he has proven me correct. I was patient. I knew we made the right decision.”
And man, did he ever. Bournemouth sit four points behind the Champions League spots, leading a group of eight teams competing for the last two European spots.
“I think we have the ambition and belief in the changing room, and I think that’s the most important thing,” midfielder Tyler Adams noted. “There’s three games left, take it game by game and we know how quick things can change in this league.”
Leading the charge are 19-year-old prodigies Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan Vitor Simplício Rocha. Despite his young age, the former has gradually converted himself into a mainstay in Bournemouth’s starting line-up. His 12 league goals so far this term have seen him equal the record for most goals scored by a teenager in their debut season according to Opta.
As for Rayan, he joined Bournemouth with the task to fill some big boots after Semenyo’s move to City and made an immediate impact by bagging two goals and one assist in his first three league games. After 13 matches, the former Vasco da Gama forward has registered five goals and two assists thus far, and has netted in each of the last three Premier League matches.
“Kroupi and Rayan are world-class talents,” said their teammate, Marcus Tavernier. “We give young players confidence to go out there and play with freedom.”
It’s that same freedom that Iraola offers his players within the system. Only Arsenal and Manchester City (five each) have lost fewer games than Bournemouth’s seven. The Cherries have already beaten Fulham and Nottingham Forest this season – the two of the three teams they are set to face in the run-in.
Iraola has stressed that if Bournemouth “want to get Europe, we need to do something special”. Yet, what he humbly avoided to mention is that this team have already done something special and thoroughly deserve to play European football for the first time in club history next season.
