Article by Daniel Grigore – Published on Friday, August 15, 2025, 21:37 / Updated Friday, August 15, 2025 21:37
This summer, Bournemouth sold or lost 4 of the 5 people in the defensive compartment, after which he chose for 172 million euros! Andoni Iraola has received 3 footballers in return and is forced to rebuild one of the most solid defenses in the championship.
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We comment on the English championship week at the Premier GSP. Today, 20:30, we return to all faces the Mercato moves and preface what is announced to be a spectacular season.
Only 5 Premier League teams scored fewer goals than Bournemouth in season 2024/2025. With Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Ilya Zabarnyi and Kepa Arizabulga Defensive basic pieces, the “cherries” removed the ball from the gate 46 times. Only Arsenal (34), Liverpool (41), Chelsea (43), Manchester City and Everton (44) have been better in this chapter.
If we look at what happened this summer, We can say that Bournemouth is the victim of his own success. This is because from the standard defensive line, Kepa – Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Stay with one player, the right -handed defender Adam Smith, 34 years old.
Bournemouth sold everything: 172 million for Huijsen, Kerkez and Zabarnyi
Kepa He had to return to Chelsea, being only borrowed from Stamford Bridge. Otherwise, Zabarnyi He went to PSG for 63 million euros, Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid for 62.5, Milos Kerkez at Liverpool for 47. A total of 172 million euros, an average formidable over 57 million for 3 defensive people.
In order to cover the gaps left by the 4 departures, the “cherries” invested some of the money obtained and They brought goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic (29 million euros, from Chelsea), left defender Adrien Truffert (13.5, from Rennes) and Bafode Diakite stop (35, from Lille).
Apart from Petrovic, with a limited experience in the Premier League, the others are at the first contact with the England championship.
Iraola: “I try to help as much as I can with the transfers”
Last season, Andoni Iraola led Bournemouth to 9th place, with the highest number of points ever obtained in the Premier League by the southern England team, 56.
This summer he is forced to reinvent with players without much experience at the championship. That's because Bournemouth generally recruits from outside England, where prices tend to be less peppered.
In fact, the Basque coach remembers that “I do not think I have transferred many premier league players since I am here. Most of the ones we bring are from other championships and many of them do not know them so well.”
Yes, Iraola delegates many of the attributions related to the transfer component. Here's what its involvement is normally limited to:
“When we transfer players, I try to help as much as I can. I offer my opinion, especially about the type of players we need and the attributes we have in those positions, but I do not know the market as well as they do”.
