AFC Bournemouth 2023/24 season Preview: The Cherries were favourites to go down last season. However, against the odds, the team managed to stay in the Premier League. Few very good runs of games under Gary O’Neil did the trick for the side. Although at times in the season, Scott Parker seemed like a better choice to have held on.
However, now that Gary O’Neil is out of the club, the club is looking for a fresh start. With newly appointed Andoni Iraola at the wheel, things certainly look exciting.
With Iraola at the club many Boscombe fans expect survival guaranteed and have set their targets higher. However, it is easier said than done. The quality of the transfers made might prove crucial for that task.
AFC Bournemouth 2023/24 season
| Date | Day of the Week | Home team | Away team | Place | Region | |
| 12 August 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | West Ham United | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 19 August 2023 | Saturday | Liverpool | v | Bournemouth | Liverpool | Merseyside |
| 26 August 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Tottenham Hotspur | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 2 September 2023 | Saturday | Brentford | v | Bournemouth | Brentford | Greater London |
| 16 September 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Chelsea | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 23 September 2023 | Saturday | Brighton & Hove Albion | v | Bournemouth | Falmer | East Sussex |
| 30 September 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Arsenal | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 7 October 2023 | Saturday | Everton | v | Bournemouth | Walton | Merseyside |
| 21 October 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth |
v |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 28 October 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Burnley | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 4 November 2023 | Saturday | Manchester City | v | Bournemouth | Manchester | Greater Manchester |
| 11 November 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Newcastle United | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 25 November 2023 | Saturday | Sheffield United | v | Bournemouth | Sheffield | South Yorkshire |
| 2 December 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Aston Villa | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 5 December 2023 | Tuesday | Crystal Palace | v | Bournemouth | Selhurst | Greater London |
| 9 December 2023 | Saturday | Manchester United | v | Bournemouth | Manchester | Greater Manchester |
| 16 December 2023 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Luton Town | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 23 December 2023 | Saturday | Nottingham Forest | v | Bournemouth | West Bridgford | Nottinghamshire |
| 26 December 2023 | Tuesday | Bournemouth | v | Fulham | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 30 December 2023 | Saturday | Tottenham Hotspur | v | Bournemouth | Tottenham | Greater London |
| 13 January 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Liverpool | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 30 January 2024 | Tuesday | West Ham United | v | Bournemouth | Stratford | Greater London |
| 3 February 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Nottingham Forest | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 10 February 2024 | Saturday | Fulham | v | Bournemouth | Fulham | Greater London |
| 17 February 2024 | Saturday | Newcastle United | v | Bournemouth | Newcastle | Tyne and Wear |
| 24 February 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Manchester City | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 2 March 2024 | Saturday | Burnley | v | Bournemouth | Burnley | Lancashire |
| 9 March 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Sheffield United | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 16 March 2024 | Saturday | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
v |
Bournemouth | Wolverhampton | West Midlands |
| 30 March 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Everton | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 2 April 2024 | Wednesday | Bournemouth | v | Crystal Palace | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 6 April 2024 | Sunday | Luton Town | v | Bournemouth | Luton | Bedfordshire |
| 13 April 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Manchester United | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 20 April 2024 | Saturday | Aston Villa | v | Bournemouth | Aston | West Midlands |
| 27 April 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Brighton & Hove Albion | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 4 May 2024 | Saturday | Arsenal | v | Bournemouth | Holloway | Greater London |
| 11 May 2024 | Saturday | Bournemouth | v | Brentford | Kings Park | Southampton |
| 19 May 2024 | Sunday | Chelsea | v | Bournemouth | Fulham | Greater London |
Several major signings is unrealistic for a club of their stature. Nonetheless, few signings in certain areas can be expected.
El Bilal Touré was a forward linked with the club. However, with the arrival of Justin Kluivert, that seems unlikely. Alessandro Buongiorno is a defender that is linked with the club. The Italian defender from Torino is certainly a gettable asset. The Manchester City youngster is a reinforcement being looked at in the midfield department.
Hamed Traorè was loaned in from Sassuolo last season. That deal has been made permanent. Jack Stacey, J. Lerma, C. Saydee, J. Zemura have all been let go. W. Dennis has been loaned out in terms of official transfers.
AFC Bournemouth 2023/24 season fixtures
| No. | Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth | Age | Date signed | Fee | Contract end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers |
|||||||||
| 1 | Mark Travers | GK | Republic of Ireland | Maynooth | 18 May 1999 | 24 | 6 July 2016 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2027 |
| 12 | Darren Randolph | GK | Republic of Ireland | Bray | 12 May 1987 | 36 | 26 January 2023 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2024 |
| 13 | Neto | GK | Brazil | Araxá | 19 July 1989 | 33 | 7 August 2022 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| 45 | Cameron Plain | GK | England | 24 September 2001 | 21 | 1 July 2020 | — | 30 June 2024 | |
Defenders |
|||||||||
| 2 | Ryan Fredericks | RB | England | Hammersmith | 10 October 1992 | 30 | 1 July 2022 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2024 |
| 5 | Lloyd Kelly | CB | England | Bristol | 6 October 1998 | 24 | 1 July 2019 | £13,000,000 | 30 June 2024 |
| 6 | Chris Mepham | CB | Wales | England Harrow | 5 November 1997 | 25 | 22 January 2019 | £12,000,000 | 30 June 2025 |
| 15 | Adam Smith | RB | England | Leytonstone | 29 April 1991 | 32 | 28 January 2014 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 23 | James Hill | CB | England | Bristol | 10 January 2002 | 21 | 5 January 2022 | £1,000,000 | 30 June 2026 |
| 25 | Marcos Senesi | CB | Argentina | Concordia | 10 May 1997 | 26 | 8 August 2022 | £13,500,000 | 30 June 2026 |
| 27 | Illya Zabarnyi | CB | Ukraine | Kyiv | 1 September 2002 | 20 | 31 January 2023 | £24,000,000 | 30 June 2028 |
| 35 | Owen Bevan | CB | Wales | England Winchester | 26 October 2003 | 19 | 1 July 2022 | — | 30 June 2024 |
| 43 | Ben Greenwood | LB | Republic of Ireland | England Frimley | 20 February 2003 | 20 | 1 July 2020 | — | 30 June 2024 |
Midfielders |
|||||||||
| 4 | Lewis Cook | CM | England | York | 3 February 1997 | 26 | 8 July 2016 | £6,000,000 | 30 June 2025 |
| 10 | Ryan Christie | AM | Scotland | Inverness | 22 February 1995 | 28 | 31 August 2021 | £2,500,000 | 30 June 2024 |
| 11 | Emiliano Marcondes | AM | Denmark | Hvidovre | 9 March 1995 | 28 | 3 July 2021 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2024 |
| 14 | Joe Rothwell | CM | England | Manchester | 11 January 1995 | 28 | 1 July 2022 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2026 |
| 16 | Marcus Tavernier | LM | England | Leeds | 22 March 1999 | 24 | 1 August 2022 | £12,500,000 | 30 June 2027 |
| 22 | Ben Pearson | CM | England | Oldham | 4 January 1995 | 28 | 29 January 2021 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 22 | Hamed Traorè | AM | Ivory Coast | Abidjan | 16 February 2000 | 23 | 1 July 2023 | £20,000,000 | 30 June 2027 |
| 26 | Gavin Kilkenny | CM | Republic of Ireland | Dublin | 1 February 2000 | 23 | 1 August 2016 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2025 |
| 29 | Philip Billing | CM | Denmark | Copenhagen | 11 June 1996 | 27 | 29 July 2019 | £15,000,000 | 30 June 2024 |
| 39 | Nathan Moriah-Welsh | CM | Guyana | England Chelsea | 18 March 2002 | 21 | 1 July 2018 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2024 |
| 49 | Dominic Sadi | CM | England | 2 September 2003 | 19 | 1 July 2022 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2024 | |
Forwards |
|||||||||
| 7 | David Brooks | RW | Wales | England Warrington | 8 July 1997 | 25 | 1 July 2018 | £11,500,000 | 30 June 2026 |
| 9 | Dominic Solanke | CF | England | Reading | 14 September 1997 | 25 | 4 January 2019 | £19,000,000 | 30 June 2026 |
| 11 | Dango Ouattara | RW | Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | 11 February 2002 | 21 | 19 January 2023 | £20,000,000 | 30 June 2028 |
| 18 | Jamal Lowe | RW | Jamaica | England Harrow | 21 July 1994 | 28 | 31 August 2021 | £1,500,000 | 30 June 2024 |
| 20 | Siriki Dembélé | LW | Scotland | Burkina Faso Ouragahio | 7 September 1996 | 26 | 31 January 2022 | £2,200,000 | 30 June 2025 |
| 21 | Kieffer Moore | CF | Wales | England Torquay | 8 August 1992 | 30 | 31 January 2022 | £5,000,000 | 30 June 2025 |
| 24 | Antoine Semenyo | CF | Ghana | England Chelsea | 7 January 2000 | 23 | 27 January 2023 | £10,500,000 | 30 June 2027 |
| 32 | Jaidon Anthony | LW | England | Hackney | 1 December 1999 | 23 | 1 July 2016 | Free Transfer | 30 June 2027 |
| 41 | Euan Pollock | CF | England | Dorchester | 3 October 2002 | 20 | 1 July 2021 | — | 30 June 2024 |
| – | Justin Kluivert | LW | Netherlands | Amsterdam | 5 May 1999 | 24 | 23 June 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2027 |
Out on Loan |
|||||||||
| 40 | Will Dennis | GK | England | 10 July 2000 | 22 | 1 August 2021 | — | 30 June 2024 | |
It seems challenging to determine the position in which AFC Bournemouth might end this season. However, with plenty of players having proven Premier League experience. And a manager that has a track record of taking teams to great heights, we can expect quality performance from the side.
All things considered, the Cherries might give a strong push to end up in the middle of the Premier League. I do see Andoni Iraola proving his worth in the English top flight. Two seasons down the line or even earlier, he might be taken over by a club higher in the league or abroad.
