Andoni Iraola working miracles – How Bournemouth constructed their unlikely charge for Europe

Could go 4th with win vs Wolves 

Many fans and journalists alike were shocked when Bournemouth decided to relieve Gary O’Neil of his duties at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, after he had steered them from deep in the relegation zone towards Premier League safety. The Cherries turned to Spaniard Andoni Iraola instead, who had been building a reputation at La Liga side Rayo Vallecano. Nine games into Iraola’s reign on the south-coast, and Bournemouth were winless and 19th in the table. Eyebrows were being raised, but this time the Cherries stuck with their manager. Almost 18 months on and that decision couldn’t be further vindicated. Iraola’s team are flying.

Bournemouth’s 3-1 win away at Southampton last Saturday didn’t boast the same level as shock as some of the results Iraola’s team have pulled off this season, but kept them quietly ticking towards a historic season. They have already beaten Arsenal and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium, whilst also taking a point at Stamford Bridge, and thumping third place Nottingham Forest 5-0. The Cherries are now fifth in the Premier League table, and if they manage to beat struggling Wolves at home on Saturday, they would go into fourth spot, leap-frogging champions Man City. European football doesn’t look beyond this team right now, but how did Bournemouth build such a strong set-up capable of surpassing sides with far bigger budgets and far higher expectations than their own?

How Bournemouth built a European-challenging team

In his first full season in charge with the Cherries, Iraola’s team finished in a respectable 12th place. The foundations were being laid. Bournemouth played some fast-paced exciting football, while looking increasingly defensively organised. In a division that many fail to adapt to, Iraola proved he was suited to the Premier League without pulling up any trees. Much of last season’s success centred around the goalscoring form of Dominic Solanke, with the Englishman netting 19 league goals. However, in the summer Bournemouth lost their prized striker to Tottenham in a €64.3m deal. 

Nevertheless, Bournemouth’s movements in the transfer window legislate for a lot of their on-field success. They have focused on buying younger stars and developing them and have made an enviable habit of signing unwanted stars from so-called bigger clubs, developing them, and selling them on for a hefty profit. They signed Solanke from Liverpool for €21.2m and made a profit of €43.1m on the forward. They signed defender Nathan Aké from Chelsea for €22.8m and sold him on to Manchester City for €45.3m. The money recouped from these sales has certainly been spent wisely in recent years too.

Bournemouth replaced Solanke with Evanilson, bringing in the Brazilian for a club record fee of €37m from Porto. He had scored five goals in 19 Premier League games and impressed on the eye before picking up a recent injury. In the past five seasons Bournemouth have signed Ilya Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert for a combined fee of just €76.8m. The aforementioned five players now boast a combined market value of €138m, and many of them could be set for further market value rises in the next Premier League market value update in March. Those stars also now represent the young spine of Bournemouth’s team. The Cherries’ recruitment has been sensational.

As illustrated in the graphic above, if we calculate a cost per point table in the Premier League, taking the entire purchase value of each squad in the division and then dividing it by the number of points the team has in the Premier League so far this season, Bournemouth come in third. Their total of just €7.86m cost per point, can only be bettered by third-place Forest (€6.13m cost per point), and Fulham (€6.27m cost per point). It further goes to highlight the superb work being done in the recruitment department at the Vitailty Stadium.

Andoni Iraola – The perfect match for Bournemouth

A well-functioning recruitment policy paired with the right manager can be a fearsome duo, and in Iraola, Bournemouth look to have found their man. He has already taken the club to heights many wouldn’t have imagined achievable, and if he’s to get the club into Europe next season, he will assert his name in the club’s folklore. From his time in Spain, many could have perhaps foreseen a big impact from Iraola. Iván Turmo is Transfermarkt’s Area Manager in Spain and tell us more about Iraola’s impact in La Liga: “Iraola’s work at Rayo Vallecano was outstanding in the three seasons he was in charge.”

“The first year the team was promoted to the First Division against the odds in the playoff against Girona with a brave and attractive style of football,” Turmo continued. “A philosophy that he later maintained in LaLiga and that even brought the modest club close to the European positions. His offensive style of play soon made him one of the most fashionable coaches in Spanish football. The Basque-born manager’s way of playing adapts very well to the Premier League due to his clear desire to attack which makes it easy to constantly reach the opponent’s area. Iraola is willing to take calculated risks.” During Iraola’s time with Rayo Vallecano, the club beat Barcelona home and way and Iraola was actually unbeaten against the Catalan giants. His side also defeated Real Madrid 3-2 at the Estadio de Vallecas. 

Right now Bournemouth are dreaming of big things. European football next season. Champions League football even, why not? They are one of the in-form teams in the division, and if the Cherries can beat relegation-threatened Wolves on the South coast this Saturday, then those dreams could move closer to reality and Bournemouth might just end up being the story of the Premier League season.