Bournemouth

Tom White
BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham bid to continue their impressive start under Thomas Frank against a Bournemouth side who took four points off Spurs last season. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before their meeting in north London.

Spurs' aim to continue 100% record

Tottenham will hope to continue their strong start to the new campaign at home to Bournemouth, aiming to win their opening three Premier League matches for a fourth time, having previously done so in 2008-09, 2018-19 and 2021-22.

Thomas Frank became just the third manager after Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte to beat a Pep Guardiola side in an away league game with two different clubs when Spurs won 2-0 at Manchester City last weekend.

The midfield trio of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr and Joao Palhinha all impressed in Manchester, with the latter winning eight of his duels and Bentancur claiming back possession six times, both the joint highest in the match.

Importance of defensive duo

One thing Frank has had in his favour at the start of his Spurs tenure is the availability of first choice centre-back partners Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven, a luxury not always afforded to Ange Postecoglou last season.

Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Tottenham have a 51% league win record when both play, dropping to a measly 25% when one or the other is unavailable.

Bournemouth remain tough to beat

In Bournemouth, Spurs face a team they failed to beat home or away last season, losing 1-0 on the south coast in December before a 2-2 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March.

The Cherries picked up their first win of the campaign at home to Wolves last weekend, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal from Marcus Tavernier.

Andoni Iraola's side appear to have picked up from where they left off last season in terms of high turnovers with 14 from their opening two games - the fourth most in the league.

Since Iraola's appointment ahead of the 2023-24 season, only Liverpool (134) have created more shots from high turnovers in the Premier League than the Cherries' 126.

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Tottenham (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Lewis Cook and Enes Unal are still unavailable because of injury. Cook is continuing to recover from a medial collateral ligament injury and "could be back in training during the international break", whereas Unal will still be out "long term".

• Julian Araujo will not feature after picking up a red card against Brentford in the Carabao Cup second round.

• Justin Kluivert and Ryan Christie's return from injury has been a boost but they both "need more minutes". Kluivert is feeling "quite sharp and at a good level to help", but Christie "didn't have a pre-season so it is normal he isn't at his best".

• There will be more transfer activity before the window closes because "a lot of things always happen in the last two or three days". He confirmed the club are still "looking to sign a centre-back", especially after Chris Mepham's departure this week, and "there could be changes in other positions as well".

• He recognises that he won't have the "biggest squad" to work with this season, but "competition for minutes" within the squad will be "important".

• Iraola explained his philosophy on squad competition: "I want the players to feel like it's expensive to play and to get minutes as a substitute. If this happens, then it is good news. I want everyone to fight for their opportunities."

• The squad were "very happy" after their opening win over Wolves but "very sad" after their cup defeat by Brentford. However, "there isn't a lot of time to enjoy or suffer" and the aim will be to "put up a good game" against Tottenham.

• Bournemouth are expecting a "very physical, high rhythm and demanding" game against Thomas Frank's side, who have won their first two Premier League matches this season.

• Iraola added: "I'm not surprised they are doing so well. He has proven he is a very good manager and he has very good individual players in his team."

• When asked how his side will approach the game, he replied: "The opposite to Wolves. They will want to control and dictate the game. They haven't even conceded a goal yet, so we definitely aren't going to have 65% of the ball like we had the other day. We will have to take a completely different approach."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary of Tottenham v Bournemouth at 15:00 on Saturday

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

England boss Thomas Tuchel has selected his 24-man squad for the September World Cup qualifiers.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson

Defenders: Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice

Forwards: Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Bournemouth have opened talks to sign full-back Alex Jimenez on a season-long loan deal from AC Milan.

The 20-year-old can also play in multiple positions as a wing-back or as a winger on either the left or right side. He is believed to be open to a move to the Vitality Stadium.

However, terms are yet to be fully agreed with Milan pushing for a permanent sale for up to £20m.

The Spain youth international is a product of Real Madrid's academy and has played 34 times for Milan.

The Cherries are also in the market to add a central defender, amid talks with Chelsea's Axel Disasi.

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Nizaar Kinsella
BBC football reporter

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Bournemouth's Hamed Junior Traore has agreed to join Marseille on a loan with option to move permanently for €7.5m (£6.5m).

The option of the permanent move is practically mandatory or an 'obligation' as the triggers are likely to be hit - with one being Marseille need to avoid relegation.

Traore joined Bournemouth in January 2023 on loan from Italian side Sassuolo before a permanent deal worth about £20m was agreed that summer.

The 25-year-old has since had loan spells at Napoli and Auxerre and has made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries, scoring once.

Bournemouth's 25-year-old Ivory Coast attacking midfielder Hamed Traore is set to join Marseille on loan, with an option to buy. (Footmercato - in French), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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The 'departure lounge' at Vitality Stadium has been a busy place this week, with striker Daniel Adu-Adjei joining Croatian side Rijeka and goalkeeper Alex Paulsen moving to Lechia Gdansk on loan.

But the biggest loss to supporters will be midfielder Philip Billing, who has returned to his native Denmark to join Midtjylland, having been something of a cult hero in his six years at Bournemouth.

Signed from Huddersfield by Eddie Howe in 2019, Billing was mainly deployed in a deep-lying midfield role alongside Jefferson Lerma, but suffered a second successive Premier League relegation that season.

However, his Cherries career turned for the better in 2021 when, in a tactical move from Jonathan Woodgate's short-lived spell in charge, Billing was pushed further forward, playing closer to striker Dominic Solanke.

And having rejected a move to Norwich that summer, Billing thrived in his new role and was a key player in the 2021-22 promotion team, contributing 10 goals and 10 assists in the Championship.

Back in the top flight, he was Bournemouth's top scorer in 2022-23, ahead of even Solanke. Memorable strikes included the long-distance rocket at Nottingham Forest to spark an astonishing comeback win, netting nine seconds after kick-off at Arsenal (still the Premier League's second-fastest goal ever), and grabbing the only goal as Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool were beaten at Vitality Stadium.

No less important the following season was Billing's 40-yard lob over Burnley keeper James Trafford to give Andoni Iraola his first league win as boss, although a towering header in the 3-0 demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford proved to be his final goal in Bournemouth colours.

By then, with Justin Kluivert excelling in the number 10 role in Iraola's 4-2-3-1 system, Billing found himself largely as an option off the bench, and while it was no surprise he was allowed to leave on loan in January 2025, his destination – Napoli – raised eyebrows.

Although finding himself a regular substitute in Naples, Billing did net a crucial late equaliser against title rivals Inter Milan, thus ending the season with the unique record as the only Bournemouth player with a Serie A winner's medal in his locker.

The man the fans knew as "Phil Bill" will leave with their best wishes, after a Bournemouth career possibly defined by two crucial 'assists', showing how he will be remembered, not only as a footballer, but as a human being.

The first came on a tense night against Forest in 2022. Billing was about to take a free-kick on the edge of the box, when his peripheral vision spotted Kieffer Moore lurking wide of the defensive wall.

Billing deserved an Oscar nomination for how his body language convinced Forest he was going to shoot for goal - "skullduggery, hoodwinkery", as BBC Radio Solent commentator Kris Temple put it - instead steering the ball to the unmarked Moore to score the goal which guaranteed promotion back to the Premier League.

The second came against Luton in December 2023, when Hatters captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest, and Billing was first on the scene to offer Lockyer assistance while frantically signalling to the referee to stop the game and call the medics on. Luton later thanked Billing and the Cherries medical staff in an official statement.

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Professional Footballers Association's chief executive Maheta Molango says consequences for racist abuse in football stadiums must "go beyond" the protocols in place to deal with such incidents.

The opening game of the Premier League season between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield was stopped for several minutes after Antoine Semenyo reported being racial abused by a supporter.

The man accused was arrested on suspicion of racial abuse and has since been handed a stadium ban. However, Molango believes criminal prosecution must follow for offenders.

"We are tired of talking about it but unfortunately racism is a societal issue and football – at times – is a reflection of society and we still live in a society where these things happen," he told BBC senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel.

"What is important is that people understand this is a criminal offence not because we just go to a stadium that it becomes something 'you can just do'.

"Its important measures are taken. Not from just a football perspective but a criminal perspective so people know where the line is - we need to be strong about that.

"There are protocols in place, we are glad to see that the player knew what to do in that situation and actioned them (the protocols).

"We need to go beyond that. We need to make sure whoever is participating in those kinds of acts face real consequences and those are criminal consequences."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views after Tuesday's EFL Cup second-round tie between Bournemouth and Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Peter: A poor performance for a team which has set high standards. Very disjointed and unable to unlock a solid defence. Time is needed to bed in new signings and those players recovering from injury.

Chris: Shocking by Bournemouth - the worst I've seen them play since we got relegated from the Premier League last time. Frustrating as we should be pushing for a League Cup run.

Paul: As a Cherries fan, I'm dismayed by the extent of players sold this summer. It's really going to be a long, hard season and our Premier League status might be at risk.

Brentford fans

Nick: Good, strong defensive display and ruthless on the counter-attack. Excellent away performance.

Jon: That's two results in a row that have rather flattered the Bees. I'm still concerned that over the full season their luck will even out and it could be a nail-biting end to avoid relegation. But if we do, then it's still an incredible achievement!

David: The boys played a very well-structured game. The formation was a master class from Andrews. The substitutes en masse gave fresh energy too. Brentford are certainly on the road to being back to their best.

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford are a "frustrating" side to play against but Bournemouth's Carabao Cup defeat is down to their own "struggle" to break teams down, says midfielder Alex Scott.

The Cherries suffered an early exit from the competition on Tuesday night at the hands of the west London side, despite having the lion's share of possession and shots at goal.

"They are a frustrating team to play against. A lot of wasting time. They got the goal and almost sat in quite a lot," Scott told BBC Radio Solent.

"Going down, taking free-kicks, taking 45 seconds to a minute every throw-in and then only five minuets gets added on seems crazy to me. But, we have to deal with that.

"They are a tough side. They beat us fair and square on the day. We didn't create enough chances and that is probably the main thing. We probably struggle quite a bit when a team is sat in and not trying to play out as such. When teams try and play we can jump all over it.

"It's disappointing [going out early]. Us players and manager want to go far in all the cup competitions because it is a chance to get silverware. It was a chance for us to win a trophy, which is now gone.

"It's also a chance for new signings and those who don't play as much to get cup games and get minutes in our legs, so it is disapppointing for everyone."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

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Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, speaking to BBC Radio Solent after his side lost 2-0 at home to Brentford in the Carabao Cup:

"I changed the team too much. There are a lot of players who still have to grow and improve, get more ready for the level we demand from them.

"It's difficult because you want to give minutes to players but we have to continue competing. We have to do it like this, there is no other way. We are past pre-season so every trial has consequences. Today we did not collectively play well.

"I hate it when you are out of a competition and don't have the chance to progress and give more minutes to other players.

"We haven't been at the level required by the competition. If you want to go far in this competition you have to give a lot, and we haven't been ourselves.

"We came in off two very good games but today has been a step backwards. We changed a lot of the team, and when it doesn't work I am the first one to blame."

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 Brentford's display?

Bournemouth make eight changes from their 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday as Justin Kluiver makes his first start of the season.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Araujo, Diakite, Hill, Soler, Scott, Christie, Gannon-Doak, Kluivert, Adli, and Kroupi

Subs: Adams, Brooks, Dennis, Semenyo, Senesi, Smith, Tavernier, Truffert, Evanilson

Meanwhile, Keith Andrews has also made a whole host of changes after they picked up their first win of the season against Aston Villa over the weekend.

Brentford XI: Valdimarsson, van den Berg, Pinnock, Ajer, Henry, Onyeka, Jensen, Hickey, Milambo, F. Carvalho, Schade

Subs: Kelleher, Thiago, Yarmolyuk, Ouattara, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Peart-Harris, Kayode.

There are five games involving Premier League sides in the Carabao Cup second round on Tuesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Wolves v West Ham (19:30)

• Burnley v Derby County

• Sunderland v Huddersfield Town

• Bournemouth v Brentford - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 19:45 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Tom Jordan
Fan contributor

Find more from Tom Jordan at Back of the Net, external

Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing is set to return to his native Denmark and join Midtjylland in a £5m deal. (Times - subscription required), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth winger Marcus Tavernier expressed his delight at securing three points in their home clash against Wolves, despite admitting the performance was below their usual standards.

The Englishman, who scored the game's only goal, acknowledged that the team has higher aspirations for their level of play but emphasised the importance of getting back to winning ways following their opening-day defeat to Liverpool.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Tavernier highlighted how their approach paid off on the day and stressed the value of taking all three points, particularly in front of their home fans.

Tavernier said: "We got what we wanted out of today's game. We put in a good performance against Liverpool, but we didn't get anything from it, so we knew we needed to change that this weekend and the gaffer also mentioned about our record against Wolves at home and wanting to change that - we want to make it a tough place to come. And I think we showed that at times today.

"We know we are not our best yet, still got a couple of things to improve on to get there, but it is a good step for us so far.

"That's the style (high pressing) of play we play and put out every week. It creates us opportunities in the right places on the pitch, lucky for me, Antoine (Semenyo) found me and - a nice deflection - and luckily it found the back of the net."

Meanwhile, Tavernier's team-mate Alex Scott also spoke to BBC Radio Solent about his development and how he has a significant season in front of him.

"It's a big year for me, I've got to perform at a high level," said Scott.

"Competition for places is tough, but I am happy that I have started two games now, and I have to keep working hard in the gym and on the training pitch as well. I am going to continue to do that, and it's what I have done in the two years of being here. Hopefully, I can keep playing and keep this going."

Listen on BBC Sounds

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

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Wing: It was a good performance despite not having our strongest team out there yet. Clearly the defensive unit is growing in cohesion and confidence playing together, and it could have been 2-0 or more. A controlled display and we are getting sharper, and I can't wait for this team to really motor and get started this season!

Charl: Bournemouth sat back and watched as Brooks toiled relentlessly. Scott and Tavernier should have been taken off much earlier. We were missing the energy until the subs came on. Defence looked better - two good additions settling in nicely.

Wolves fans

Mike: Not sure where the goals are coming from. A team low on confidence and short of ideas. We need a more direct approach from midfield. New players in key positions needed urgently.

Richard: Creativity totally lacking through the whole squad. Where's Fer Lopez? Long season ahead and only relegation on the cards if this continues. I just can't see where a goal is coming from.

Glyn: Caught cold again as in many previous games over past seasons as we stand back and let the opposition lay siege to our box. I am sorry to say I just can't see where goals are going to come from this season with the players we have in attacking positions. Couple this with no attacking midfield players and this season looks like a long, hard slog to retain Premier League status next year. I am not optimistic.

Chris Wise
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth's first couple of games have proved that they are going to be a dangerous team in the Premier League again this season.

A few people had their doubts as to whether the Cherries would be able to punch with the same force after losing almost all of their regular defenders from the last campaign, as well as their goalkeeper.

It is not just getting your paintbrush out for some minor touch ups, it is a proper renovation job going on at Vitality Stadium.

That is why I think the clean sheet against Wolves will really please Andoni Iraola.

The Bournemouth defence is definitely still a work in progress, and they were not seamless on Saturday. But that is a positive in itself. A clean sheet, and the feeling that the defensive relationship is still coming together.

And there are certainly no concerns at the other end of the pitch for Bournemouth.

New signing Amine Adli looks like he could thrive in Iraola's system. He was very bright on debut at the weekend.

This team are going to land a few blows again this season.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Sautrday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brentford 1-0 Aston Villa

• Burnley 2-0 Sunderland

• Arsenal 5-0 Leeds

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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Bournemouth may have left Anfield empty-handed in last Friday's Premier League opener but their display in that 4-2 defeat by champions Liverpool offered plenty of encouragment for manager Andoni Iraola.

The 43-year-old's decision to field an unchanged XI at Vitality Stadium came as little surprise - despite the availability of fit-again Justin Kluivert and Ryan Christie as well as recent signings Amine Adli and Ben Gannon-Doak – and was vindicated by the Cherries' fast start.

A 2-0 scoreline would have been a fair reflection of Bournemouth's early superiority but Antoine Semenyo somehow managed to turn Brooks' delivery against the bar, five minutes after Marcus Tavernier's deflected opener.

Jhon Arias missed a good opportunity to level for Wolves not long after half-time but Toti Gomes's dismissal moments later left Bournemouth firmly in the driving seat and allowed Iraola to give valuable minutes to Christie, Adli and Kluivert in the second period.

Adli – part of the Leverkusen team that won the Bundesliga in 2023-24 – was particularly sharp after coming on for the impressive Brooks, stretching the Wolves defence as the visitors looked to salvage something from the game late on.

Given the Cherries' fine start though, Moroccan Adli and his fellow substitutes have their work cut out in forcing their way back into Iraola's side.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola spoke to BBC Match of the day after Bournemouth's victory against Wolves: "I think we defended well but we missed situations where we should have killed the game and scored the second one but we didn't.

"We played first in the first 30 minutes, we attacked the spaces, we didn't concede too many chances. 1-0 is always tricky, you probably want to score the second one. After the red card, they defended well."

On Wolves' red card: "Evanilson will not appear in the goals and the assists today but he takes a good touch and forces Toti to push him and I value what he gives us a lot. Not only the goals but I value a lot of things."

On how pleased he is with the defence: "Overall, not just defensively I am happy because we have the clean sheet. We need to play more together in attack. This start of the season is diffiuclt, we still need to work with players, new players and we still need to work with them. If you win it is always easier."

Cherries winger Marcus Tavernier added: "We knew after last week that we needed to get our first win and it had to be today. It was against a tough opposition but I feel like we played with the intensity we did in the second half against Liverpool. You could see that at times. We should have shut the game out a bit quicker and scored another goal but credit to Wolves but glad to get the three points."

On his goal: "That's Ant [Semenyo] working his magic. Last week he dribbled with the ball and didn't pass to me, I didn't think he was going to do the same thing again today. He got me the ball and it took a lucky deflection but they all count."

Did you know?

For a second consecutive season, Antoine Semenyo has been directly involved in each of Bournemouth's first three goals of a Premier League campaign (2 goals & 1 assist in 2024-25, 2 goals & 1 assist in 2025-26).

Listen to Iraola's chat with BBC Radio Solent here