Bournemouth Premier League Odds: Iraola out to prove he’s no one-season wonder

The decision to dispense with Gary O'Neil as AFC Bournemouth head coach last summer was met with derision by large swathes of the media as several prominent figures questioned the logic of ousting an Englishman who had just led the Cherries to survival.

O'Neil's successor, Andoni Iraola, was subsequently ridiculed by the same people after failing to win any of his first nine Premier League games in charge, but the Spaniard had the last laugh as he was nominated for the 2023/24 Barclays Manager of the Season award for steering the south coast side to 12th. Below you can find the Bournemouth Premier League odds for the upcoming campaign as Iraola looks to inspire another successful season at the Vitality Stadium, despite the sale of star striker Dominic Solanke.

Last Season: 12th

Top Scorer: Dominic Solanke (19)

Transfers In: Enes Unal - Getafe (£14.1m), Dean Huijsen - Juventus (£13m), Alex Paulsen - Wellington Phoenix (£1.9m), Daniel Jebbison - Sheffield United (free)

Transfers Out: Dominic Solanke - Tottenham Hotspur (£55m), Kieffer Moore - Cardiff City (£1.5m), Lloyd Kelly - Newcastle United (free), Jamal Lowe - Sheffield Wednesday (free), Ryan Fredericks - Unattached, Darren Randolph - Unattached, Emiliano Marcondes - Unattached, Joe Rothwell - Leeds United (loan), Alex Paulsen - Auckland FC (loan)

First Game: Nottingham Forest (A)

Prediction: 11th

Premier League Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Premier League Odds page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices.

Three points weren't forthcoming in the first couple of months of the Iraola era at the Vitality, but for anyone paying close attention to the Cherries, it was obvious that results would eventually follow.

The Bournemouth hierarchy held their nerve and were repaid handsomely as the club embarked on a run of seven wins from nine games between October 28 to Boxing Day, and after a seven-game winless run followed, the Cherries rebounded by taking 12 points from the next 15 available to pull onto 41 points with eight matches left, thereby comfortably avoiding being dragged into a late-season relegation battle.

A hat-trick of losses to end the campaign denied Bournemouth a top-10 finish, but Iraola had helped the club achieve their best-ever points tally in the Premier League, accumulating 48 points in total.

An air of positivity has been evident at the south coast club for some time now, and the permanent capture of Turkish striker Enes Unal, who spent the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan from Getafe, was followed by the arrival of 19-year-old Spanish defender Dean Huijsen from Italian giants Juventus.

Huijsen, who featured 14 times in Serie A last season - making a single appearance at Juve and 13 in a six-month loan spell at AS Roma - is a highly-rated centre-back who is eligible to play internationally for Spain and the country of his birth, the Netherlands. It was a surprise to many to see the Cherries pluck the teenager from Turin, and he now adds competition to a backline already featuring the considerable talents of Ilya Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi, as well as full-backs Maximillian Aarons and Milos Kerkez.

Supporters may feel that an upgrade is due in goal, where Brazilian Neto lost his spot to Mark Travers at the end of the season, while a new right-back would be advisable given Aarons' injury issues last term, but there's a lot to like about Bournemouth's backline.

In midfield, meanwhile, Iraola can call on Philip Billing, Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook, while Alex Scott and Tyler Adams will hope to evade injuries after disrupted debut campaigns last time out.

In attack, Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert will hope to build on promising starts at the Vitality Stadium after netting eight and seven times respectively last season. Luis Sinisterra made his loan switch permanent in February and has scored in both pre-season friendlies he has played this summer; if the Colombian can avoid injuries this time around, he should be looking to break past the 10-goal mark.

All of this positivity had to be soured somewhat, didn't it? Reports emerged last week that last season's 19-goal top scorer Solanke was the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur, and on Saturday, it was confirmed that the 26-year-old had joined the north London club in a £55m move.

Replacing such a talismanic figure feels like an insurmountable task for a club the size of Bournemouth, but with the fee they received - and the healthy backing of owner Bill Foley - they will be confident that they can identify a suitable centre-forward who can replicate the goals and energy provided by their former hero.

The European places appear out of reach for the Cherries, but if they can source a capable striker, and add two or three others before the close of the transfer window, a top-half finish is not out of the realms of possibility.

However, they are likely to find things much tougher this term with all the other clubs around them spending significant sums of money to boost their own aspirations, including fellow southern side Brighton & Hove Albion, who they were locked on points with at the end of last season, only finishing below the Seagulls by an inferior goal difference.

Avoiding a relegation fight, and placing above 15th, should be regarded as another terrific achievement under Iraola.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.