Bournemouth

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The festive season is not far away, but the Bournemouth rollercoaster was in full swing on Saturday, as the game with West Ham produced two contrasting halves of football.

It looked particularly grim at half-time, with the Hammers halfway to a "smash and grab" of all three points, having led 2-0 from two largely isolated attacks and already looking more than happy to run the clock down from this point on, against a team without two of its main attacking threats with Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert injured.

Adding extra hurt was the identity of the scorer of both goals - former Cherries favourite Callum Wilson, top scorer from the team which won the Championship title a decade ago, en route to Bournemouth's first glass-ceiling-shattering spell in the Premier League.

But the Cherries have been known for some astonishing comebacks in recent seasons – and turned the game on its head with their second-half display, as the momentum of the match swung.

Boss Andoni Iraola has never been afraid of a bold, early substitution, and at half-time he chose to play a card he had played successfully in an FA Cup tie at Queens Park Rangers nearly two years ago, when they had trailed 2-0 at the break, only to win 3-2.

Lewis Cook – all 5ft 9in of him, and a central midfielder by trade – was switched to central defence with Bafode Diakite replaced at the interval.

If the change was made in anticipation that Cook would not have too much man-to-man marking to do, and could instead break up play and start attacks from the back with his range of passing, it worked a treat – even more so when West Ham withdrew Wilson in favour of midfielder Tomas Soucek in the 52nd minute.

Wilson was facing his old club for the first time. Having departed after relegation during the Covid pandemic of 2020, he never had a chance to say goodbye, and his substitution allowed the game to pause for some warm applause from the home supporters which Wilson acknowledged.

But his exit left the Hammers without a focal point in attack, playing into Iraola's hands as his side laid siege to the visitors' goal. Marcus Tavernier blasted home a penalty after Maximillian Kilman's blatant handball, while another inspired substitution allowed Enes Unal to equalise with one of his first touches after a slide-rule pass by Marcos Senesi opened up the defence.

In the end, it was Areola denying Iraola in a grandstand finish, as Hammers keeper Alphonse Areola somehow threw every body part in the way of goalbound efforts, making save after save to deny Bournemouth a third goal.

In 45 minutes, emotions turned from "there's no way back" to "how did we not win?".

Next stop on the rollercoaster is Sunderland on Saturday. It is safe to say that you would have got long odds in the summer that, 12 games in, Sunderland v Bournemouth would be seventh v eighth.

And what should you do on a rollercoaster? Hold on tight, and enjoy the ride.

Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo's release clause with the Cherries will drop slightly from £65m in January, to a smaller figure next summer, but will not fall below £50m. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Meanwhile, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is concerned about an over-reliance on Norway striker Erling Haaland, 25, so will consider rivalling Liverpool for 25-year-old Semenyo. (Talksport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Sam Davis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This weekend saw another member of the Cherries squad arrive at this campaign's Premier League party, with Turkish frontman Enes Unal grabbing the limelight.

The 28 year old sadly missed the majority of last season with an ACL injury. Subsequently, he had to watch on as the side performed admirably before going on to recruit various players in his preferred position.

While a large number of Bournemouth supporters felt Enes' time on the South Coast may not last much longer, his contribution at the weekend with a last-gasp West Ham equaliser perhaps indicates that he is ready to step up once more to show he can be more than capable of bringing something unique to the Cherries squad.

Having scored plenty of goals in Spain and been a part of an exciting Manchester City youth setup, the expectations were high when Enes joined Bournemouth back in February 2024. However, despite some promising performances, Enes' short time at the club has been blighted by injury - having already succumbed to an ACL injury back in Spain with Getafe, another occurred on the south coast to force a cruel setback.

Credit to him though, as he has evidently worked hard to get fit and is now looking more than ready to compete with the likes of Evanilson and Eli Kroupi in the Cherries attack.

Enes certainly offers something different in Bournemouth's frontline - a real physical presence, a player happy to drop off and link play and with a specialism in free kicks in his armoury. Whisper it, maybe his return can encourage a goal-shy Evanilson to find his goalscoring boots again.

Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net, external

Liverpool have already held concrete talks over a move for Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, 25, and are aware of his £65m release clause. (Florian Plettenberg), external

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Bournemouth forward Enes Unal was emotional after scoring his first goal since December 2024 in the 2-2 draw with West Ham.

After successive anterior cruciate ligament injuries, Unal returned with a decisive impact in only his second substitute appearance since his comeback.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Unal said: "In my best dreams, I would not have imagined it. Yesterday I had a great training session, and the last couple of days I felt like I was getting there physically and mentally.

"This is why we love football - it was an amazing feeling. A rainy day, this is my favourite weather to play football - this is what you dream of.

"I think we are getting a lot of respect from other teams. A lot of teams come here, and they want to make it a duel-oriented game, aggressive, and if we can't win those duels, we struggle. So, we just need to correct that.

"The second half was an amazing performance. We dominated and we should have scored more, but yes, we will take the point.

"We tried to play outside more and overload the sides. They were compact in the middle and it's very difficult from there. This will give us a lot of learnings and motivation for next week."

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Lee: Game of two halves! Tepid performance first half, with Callum Wilson coming back to haunt us. However, the second half was an onslaught and we should have won the game in the end. Will settle for a point after going two down, but the Cherries need to be more focused from minute one going forward.

Dave: Our never-say-die attitude showed through in the second half. Their goalkeeper was the difference between one point and three for us. Oh, and that penalty - red all day long.

Bob: Defence poor for Cherries, as usual. The opposition sit back when two up, and we luckily get a draw. A fortunate result.

Rob: Good performance second half, but too many players had an off day - Petrovic and Evanilson, to name just two. Credit to West Ham for holding on and credit to Unal for getting the equaliser after 50 seconds.

West Ham fans

Steve: Will West Ham ever learn that sitting back and defending a lead will never work in the Premier League with a team like ours? I fear not.

Gavin: Not a great performance, but we battled. Wrong subs as widely stated. Magassa needs more minutes when we need legs in midfield. Paqueta and Summerville missing really hurts our attacking options. Respect the point.

Tony: Wrong decision by Nuno to take Wilson off and go defensive, leaving no outlet up front. Letting Bournemouth attack our goal continuously. Bad tactics.

Robbie: A game we would have definitely lost a few weeks back and probably should have on Saturday. Not sure what the manager was thinking with the subs, but it would have taken a point away from home before kick-off.

Manchester United could a offer Antoine Semenyo his preferred number 24 shirt in a bid to lure the 25-year-old Bournemouth and Ghana forward to Old Trafford during the January transfer window. (Manchester Evening News), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pundits Wayne Rooney and Rob Green join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Newcastle 2-1 Manchester City

• Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest

• Fulham 1-0 Sunderland

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It is not a good result for us. We have made mistakes, and we cannot concede two goals that we conceded in the first half. Overall, we were much better and had so many changes, and also, I have to complain about the penalty. It is a clear red card. I don't understand the decision, but we have to analyse our mistakes. They should have played 30 minutes with 10 players.

"They told me that it is not a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, but I can't see a clearer one, in the six-yard box. Some of these decisions you see sides, but this one I see no elements. I don't understand it.

"I think we have done everything to get the win. After the goals we conceded, the second half was very good. Areola was incredible. But now it is not a good result. We deserved more, but we have to look at what we did wrong at the beginning of the game. It is frustrating for us.

"Today was that they benefited from our mistakes, but I don't think they created any other chances. We can't concede, and the way we conceded was too simple."

On Enes Unal's goal: "I am very happy for Enes. A long time, an ACL in the same knee. He has had to do hard work to be available for us, and I a happy for him. He had another chance to score the third one, but I am happy for him."

Striker Enes Unal speaking to BBC's Match of the Day: "It feels great to score again. The game was really tough, and they made it really hard for us. We were not composed enough in the first half, and then in the second half, amazing performance. We want three points, but I am happy.

"We wanted to win. Our only objective was three points, but with how the game went, we take the point. Great point, and hopefully this will give us the courage to go to a difficult away game next week and get three points.

"A lot of teams make it an aggressive game, and they will test us, and we need to be ready. We have made mistakes, and that comes from the courage. We have great characters, and we will fix it."

Did you know?

• Bournemouth avoided defeat in a Premier League game having trailed by 2+ goals for the first time since August 2024 (3-2 v Everton), having lost each of their previous eight such matches before today.

Listen to Iraola on BBC Sounds

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Enes Unal did not hide his emotions after coming off the bench and scoring a late equaliser inside a minute to help Bournemouth come back from two goals down to hold West Ham 2-2 in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 28-year-old forward joined the Cherries on loan from Getafe in January 2024 before signing a four-year contract in May 2024 - but has since gone on to make just 36 appearances.

Unal has suffered two anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and a broken toe during that period and only returned to full squad training during the international break.

His only appearance of the season before Saturday was a very brief cameo against Nottingham Forest in October and he has not played for Turkey since November 2024.

So to come off the bench and score the equaliser with almost his first touch to preserve Bournemouth's unbeaten record at Vitality Stadium this season would have done a world of good for the forward.

It was only his fifth goal in Bournemouth colours and a first since netting against the same opposition in December 2024.

In fact, Unal could have won the game for the Cherries late on if not for a good save from West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

The Bournemouth forward will now hope to stay away from injuries and build on Saturday's performance to force his way into Andoni Iraola's plans and earn more regular minutes.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

• Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

• What did you make of West Ham's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has made four changes to the side that lost 4-0 at Aston Villa, with Antoine Semenyo missing from the matchday squad with a reported ankle issue, along with Justin Kluivert, who picked up an injury during the international break.

Lewis Cook, David Brooks, Bafode Diakite and Eli Junior Kroupi come into the starting line-up as Veljko Milosavljevic and Adam Smith drop to the bench.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Truffert, Cook, Senesi, Brooks, Scott, Adams, Evanilson, Tavernier, Diakite, Kroupi.

Subs: Dennis, Soler, Christie, Smith, Jimenez, Adli, Hill, Unal, Milosavljevic.

Nuno Espirito Santo makes two changes to the West Ham side that posted a 3-2 win against Burnley before the international break.

Lucas Paqueta is suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card, while Crysencio Summerville is absent as Igor Julio and Luis Guilherme get a start.

West Ham XI: Areola, Kilman, Julio, Wilson, Diouf, Guilherme, Fernandes, Bowen, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka, Potts.

Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Fullkrug, Rodriguez, Magassa, Soucek, Irving.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth have confirmed that winger Ben Gannon-Doak has undergone successful surgery after sustaining a hamstring injury while on international duty with Scotland.

The 20-year-old was forced off after just 21 minutes during Scotland's memorable 4-2 victory over Denmark, a result that secured their place at the 2026 World Cup.

Gannon-Doak was assessed by Bournemouth's medical team upon his return to the club, and subsequent scans revealed that a surgery would offer the best route to recovery, the club said.

The Cherries say a full rehabilitation plan is now under way, guided closely by the club's medical and performance staff.

While Bournemouth have not put a timeframe on his return, it is another frustrating setback for a highly rated young player who has shown flashes of his potential since joining the Premier League side.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Burnley v Chelsea (12:30)

• Bournemouth v West Ham

• Brighton v Brentford

• Fulham v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Crystal Palace

• Newcastle v Manchester City (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Nottingham Forest" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Man City", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth have lost their past two games - albeit both of them were away - but they got absolutely spanked by Aston Villa last time out, which surprised me.

In contrast, West Ham won two in a row before the international break and, although both of those games were at home, they do look competitive again.

The Hammers' only away win this season came at Nottingham Forest in August, when West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was still Forest manager.

So, what on earth do I go with here - will it be West Ham extending their run under Nuno, or Bournemouth bouncing back?

I am going to go with Bournemouth, because I think what happened against Villa was a blip.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth seek to get back to winning ways against a West Ham side starting to find some momentum. BBC Sport explores some of the key talking points going into this match.

A return to the south coast and Vitality Stadium will be welcomed by all at Bournemouth.

Andoni Iraola's side suffered consecutive away defeats by Manchester City and Aston Villa before the international break and their 4-0 loss at Villa was their heaviest under the Spanish coach since a home reverse to Liverpool by the same scoreline in January 2024.

"I'm a bit worried about the first half," said the 43-year-old in his post-match interview at Villa Park. "Because it is coming after a [Manchester] City game where we were not at our level."

Before those away losses, the Cherries were on an eight-match unbeaten run. They have won four of their five home matches this season, drawing the other, and only Manchester City, with 15, have taken more points on home soil then the 13 they have accrued.

Semenyo's recent woes

Bournemouth's mini-slump could simply be blamed on a tricky run of fixtures but their form also appears to be intrinsically linked to the performances of star winger Antoine Semenyo.

The 25-year-old began the season with six goals and three assists, but since the October international break, he has gone four league games without a goal involvement and failed to convert a penalty in his previous outing. His general attacking output is down across the board.

Iraola has never lost a top-flight match when facing a team managed by Nuno Espirito Santo. The Spaniard has won two and drawn two of his previous meetings with the Portuguese and if he can get Semenyo firing again then the chances of that run continuing will markedly increase.

Hammers turning a corner?

West Ham's disastrous start to the season has been well documented, and four points from their opening nine games represented their worst beginning to a league campaign for 52 years.

But back-to-back Premier League victories for Nuno's side have injected some much-needed confidence and they are now attempting to win three in a row for the first time since December 2023.

"We have proven we want to change things," said Nuno after the 3-2 triumph over Burnley two weeks ago. "We want to be strong characters. The boys on the pitch are showing this slowly."

The Hammers have recently enjoyed the upper hand against Saturday's opponents and they are unbeaten in nine previous meetings with Bournemouth in all competitions, winning four and drawing five.

They have also scored in 15 of their 16 Premier League games against the Cherries - a 2-0 defeat at Vitality Stadium in January 2019 was the only time they failed to find the net.

International hangover

However, West Ham have lost all three of their fixtures directly after an international break this year and they are the only ever-present top-flight side to do so.

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.

The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.

Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.

Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.

Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.

Read more about the news and what it means here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

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The Premier League has announced the start and end dates for the 2026-27 season.

The first round of fixtures will take place across the weekend of 22 August 2026 - a week later than previous seasons.

The later start allows rest time for players - 89 clear days from the end of this season, and 33 days from the 2026 World Cup final.

The Premier League said the delay was a "priority" for player welfare in an "increasingly congested global football calendar".

The final matches of the season will be played on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously as usual.

The season will end a week before the 2027 Champions League final, which will be on Saturday, 5 June.

There will be 33 weekend and five midweek fixtures - the same as the current season.

For the festive period, the Premier League have said no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours.

It has not been confirmed if there will be any fixtures on 24 December 2026.

However, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Premier League has said there will be more matches scheduled than this season, when there is only one.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against West Ham at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his chat with BBC Radio Solent:

• The release cause in Antoine Semenyo's contract, which was reported on over the international break, does not worry Iraola, who said the Cherries are not expecting to lose him. Instead, he is focusing on Semenyo's performances before a busy winter schedule.

• He added they will have to wait to see if the forward is available for Saturday's match.

• When asked if this kind of speculation affects the dressing room: "We do not talk about these things and I never talk about it with the players. I don't know if it affects the mentality but, for me, it definitely does not."

• Both Justin Kluivert and Ben Gannon-Doak picked up injuries over the international break. Iraola said Kluivert's injury is smaller and he hopes the player can recover as soon as possible. However Gannon-Doak has a "big hamstring injury" which may require surgery. Iraola thinks the Scot will be out for months.

• On Saturday's opponents and their new manager Nuno Espirito Santo: "It is definitely working [with Nuno]. They have very good individuals who can make the difference. We have had to be very careful every time we face them and I expect it to be very similar."

Hear more from Iraola on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Last month, BBC Radio Solent's Jordan Clark revealed that contract negotiations between Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola's representatives were "still taking place", with the manager's current deal set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season.

But former cruiserweight world champion boxer and Bournemouth fan Chris Billam-Smith believes the manager's decision will depend on "how this season goes" for the Cherries, who are currently ninth in the Premier League table after 11 games.

Speaking on a special live episode of the Cherries: Unpicked podcast, Billam-Smith explained: "It is an exciting time to be Bournemouth manager, but I think whether Andoni Iraola stays or goes will depend on how this season goes.

"He might want to move back to Spain and take on European football, if we weren't to make it this season. Hopefully we won't have to think about any of this though - it is a sad thought.

"Bill Foley is a serial winner and surely, as a manager, you would want the owner of your club to be someone like that? He definitely sees the value in Iraola and has provided him with the funds for new players, a recruitment team and everything else.

"It has to be an exciting job for him because he has all the facilities and a good budget.

"The club is still very grateful to have him, even though we are in a period now where there is more expectation from the fans and the board because of the level we are getting to."

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Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal all retain an interest in Bournemouth and Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo, 25. (Talksport), external

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