'Still much reason to remain hopeful'

It has been a pretty busy summer of activity for the Cherries, with plenty of notable outgoings, but there is still much reason to remain hopeful.

A contract extension for in-demand winger Antoine Semenyo and a couple of new additions with Djordje Petrovic and Adrien Truffert have been music to the ears for many of us. Indeed, due to some of the outstanding finds previously from our recruitment team, any new incoming is met with real excitement - so hopes are high with these two.

Similarly, we still have head coach Andoni Iraola, a man whose brand of football and tactical insight has enhanced the quality of each player substantially since his arrival. Therefore, with him at the helm, the Bournemouth faithful will always remain optimistic.

However, there is always a flip side. The club have lost four of their back five from last season's record-breaking campaign.

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was only on a loan, Dean Huijsen's exceptional season meant his £50m release clause was always going to be triggered, and Milos Kerkez to Liverpool always felt on the cards.

However it is the departure of Ilia Zabarnyi that felt a bit out of the blue - but when the Champions League winners PSG come knocking, it is hard for the club to present a case to Zabarnyi to stay.

Replacing each of these has remained at the forefront and despite having no doubt that the club will do so adequately, it may well take time to adapt, so there is an obvious fear that the mass change may make the season more of a struggle.

The defensive unit were so key to the club achieving their greatest ever finish, so it is essential we can rely on this department being as solid as possible.

Interesting times ahead!

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