Football writer Alex Keble assesses each Premier League club and their prospects for the 2024/25 season.
AFC Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola pulled off a miracle last season, and there is good reason to believe he’ll perform another this season.
Taking AFC Bournemouth to their highest-ever Premier League points total of 48, with a 12th-place finish, was pretty extraordinary considering he radically altered their tactics in the process and failed to win any of his first nine matches.
But it gets better. Iraola managed all of that despite his 2023 summer signings Alex Scott, Tyler Adams, Hamed Traore and Romain Faivre accruing a meagre 13 league starts between them.
Those injuries have now cleared up, and another summer of tactical training diminishes the likelihood of a slow start. In other words, incredibly, Bournemouth fans can expect an even better 2024/25 season.
Performance last season
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
FA Cup: Fifth round
EFL Cup: Fourth round
Last five seasons
| Season | League position |
|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 18th |
| 2020/21 | 6th (Championship) |
| 2021/22 | 2nd (Championship) |
| 2022/23 | 15th |
| 2023/24 | 12th |
Best Premier League finish
Ninth: 2016/17
See: More about Bournemouth's history
Season aims
Only once have Bournemouth managed a top-10 finish in the Premier League but that is a realistic goal for the season. Iraola’s side fell just one point short last campaign.
Integrating Adams, Faivre, Traore and Scott on a regular basis should mean no more heavy losing streaks, perhaps even bringing European qualification into play as a target. Eighth place might be enough for that; an improbable outcome but something to aim for.
Key transfers
Losing last season's top goalscorer Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur is a huge blow.
There are plenty of players who arrived last summer and are just now settling in, ready to take to the field "like new signings", as the cliché goes.
Bournemouth's key transfers so far
| Player | Transfer Type | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Sinisterra |  Transfer In |
Leeds United |
| Enes Unal | Transfer In |
Getafe |
| Alex Paulsen | Transfer In |
Wellington Phoenix |
| Lloyd Kelly |  Released |
- |
| Kieffer Moore | Transfer Out |
Sheffield United |
| Dean Huijsen | Transfer In |
Juventus |
| Dominic Solanke | Transfer Out |
Tottenham Hotspur |
See: Clubs' summer 2024 transfers
Tactics
Iraola has introduced a fast and direct playing style befitting a club of Bournemouth’s stature. Thanks to long days perfecting moves on the training pitch, blistering counter-attacks and well-choreographed pressing traps make Bournemouth one of the division’s best at attacking transitions.
Injury report
| Player | Injury | Latest Update |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Adams | Back | - |
| Enes Unal | Foot | - |
| David Brooks | Shoulder | - |
Pre-season results and fixtures
21 July AFC Bournemouth 1-1 Wrexham Report
25 July Arsenal 1-1 AFC Bournemouth (Arsenal win 5-4 on pens) Reaction
4 Aug AFC Bournemouth 1-0 Rayo Vallecano Report
10 Aug v Girona (Vitality Stadium) Details
What the manager says
Andoni Iraola: “I think we have to continue improving the team, continue improving collectively, continue growing the different players individually. I don’t believe a lot in long-term goals. In the end, this changes every week. Now it’s going to be different. We can see teams are improving, signing very good players. Everyone is going to be better, so we have to be there also.”
Best XI (4-2-3-1)
Neto; Max Aarons, Marcos Senesi, Illia Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez; Alex Scott, Tyler Adams; Antoine Semenyo, Ryan Christie, Justin Kluivert; Enes Unal
Opening PL fixtures
Kits
See: More details at AFC Bournemouth's online store