Iraola hopes Bournemouth lose more players next summer

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola hopes he has another difficult summer next year trying to replace key men.

Iraola's attempts to build on last season's ninth place Premier League finish have been severely hampered by the loss of key men.

Defensive duo Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez have already joined Real Madrid and Liverpool for a combined £90m. The club's hopes of turning Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan from Chelsea into a permanent move were dashed when the goalkeeper opted to join Arsenal and back-up Mark Travers has left for Everton.

Bournemouth have done some business though, spending almost £40m on Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic and defender Adrien Truffert, who has moved to the Premier League from Ligue 1 club Rennes.

But there can be no guarantees of success for a club that has punched massively above its weight under Iraola and, for a long time last season, looked as though they were going to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.

Iraola himself was linked with the pending vacancy at Tottenham, but quickly decided he was staying put.

However, rather than moan about the situation he has found himself in, Iraola feels it is proof of a job well done, which is why he hopes it happens again in 12 months' time.

"It is something you have to accept," he said. "At the end of the day, I am happy for those players we lost. They are players that basically started every game when they were available.

"We will have to find a way to replace them, which is not going to be easy, but this is how it works. I trust the club.

"I hope next summer we have the same problem with more players. It would mean we had a really good season and the players have shown their level."