Bournemouth

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Dominic Solanke's impending transfer to Tottenham from Bournemouth could set the dominoes falling for other moves.

The Cherries hold an interest in Aston Villa's Cameron Archer, who returned to Villa Park this summer after a season at Sheffield United.

They had no plans to add to their forward line while Solanke was at the club but his expected departure drastically changes the landscape at the Vitality Stadium.

Archer re-joined Villa in June after Sheffield United were relegated, which triggered the clause for his return after he joined the Blades for £18m last summer. The striker scored four goals in 21 Premier League starts for United.

Villa's forward line remains thin, though, with little central back up for Ollie Watkins.

Jhon Duran remains at the club - despite summer interest from West Ham, who signed Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund this week.

Archer's immediate future is likely to be tied to whether Duran remains in Birmingham as the club will not leave themselves short up front so close to the start of the season.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Tottenham are in advanced talks with Bournemouth over a £60m deal for striker Dominic Solanke.

Solanke has a release clause in his contract, as confirmed by Bournemouth owner Bill Foley in his interview with BBC Sport in Santa Barbara last month.

It is understood he is attracted by the prospect of playing European football.

If the deal goes through it would represent a club record sale for Bournemouth, exceeding the £40m they received from Manchester City for defender Nathan Ake in 2020.

Solanke joined Bournemouth from Liverpool for £19m in 2019.

It is understood Liverpool have a substantial sell-on clause.

Foley said last month he hoped the 26-year-old would stay but Bournemouth had "two or three candidates lined up" as potential alternatives.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

When I spoke to Bournemouth owner Bill Foley in Santa Barbara last month about striker Dominic Solanke, he confirmed the striker had a release clause - and it was "roughly" £65m.

He also said that while he did not think Solanke would leave, Bournemouth had "two or three candidates lined up" if the worst happened.

I wonder if Ivan Toney or Dominic Calvert-Lewin are on the list?

Number nines are in vogue at the moment. Toney and Calvert-Lewin are in that category. The same is true of Chelsea's Armando Broja, Tottenham's Richarlison and Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea.

The problem is all of them are expensive - and not all of them score that many goals.

Bournemouth are in advanced talks with Barcelona to sign 22-year-old Mexico defender Julian Araujo in a 10m euro (£8.56m) deal. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Right now, brinkmanship is the name of the game. There have been times when some clubs sorted their transfer business early in the window and everyone wondered why so few others followed their lead. Put simply, it isn't in the selling clubs' financial interest, and it usually isn't in the moving player's financial interest either, to go early.

A selling club wants a bidding war to up the price and they don't mind a bit of panic buying when the window is creaking ever nearer the sill. If you still haven't signed that star player who you think, hope or maybe even actually believe, will make all the difference, clubs can get twitchy and make rash costly decisions.

I have watched it happen from within. Good intentions and a willingness to stick to a pre-arranged budget, suddenly evaporates when clubs are bounced into making these calls. There is also a bit of pride in there too. "We aren't losing out on our first choice to that lot!" is a common refrain, especially when it's to one of your close rivals.

As for the moving player, or more specifically his agent, last-minute brinkmanship is the dream scenario. Playing two or three suitors off against each other (and you don't even have to tell the truth of what you are being offered elsewhere) means you can exaggerate as much as you like to up the ante.

So that is why the deals go to the wire, and why they are so lucrative. It is also why I never have too much sympathy for a player, when a huge deal falls through at the last moment. Greed can push it too far in the end and it can all come crashing down, which is why they call it brinkmanship! If you dance on the edge of a volcano you might just fall in.

Image source, AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth have launched their third kit for the 2024-25 season, which they say features a design unique to the coastal town and surrounding areas.

The third strip comes in a bold "deep lagoon and scuba blue" colour inspired by Bournemouth's "iconic coastline", with kit supplier Umbro using recycled materials for the first time in their partnership with the club.

It will be worn with matching shorts and socks.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's friendly game between Bournemouth and Rayo Vallecano.

Here are some of your comments:

Drew: Dean Huijsen looks world class. We seem potent without Solanke and our squad depth is good.

Steve: The team played very well and new boy Huijsen was excellent. The team look on it and I can’t wait for the season to start. If we can hold on to Solanke we are going to cause a bit of a stir.

Geoff: A win is win but Bournemouth's movement was good at times, with little reward. A well-taken goal was the only difference between the two teams. Disappointing that the Cherries crowd didn't get behind the team, which may have made a difference. Seems we have a huge squad, unless some are moving on.

David: It was just a pre-season game so I doubt you can take much from these. However, in my opinion Luis Sinisterra, Alex Scott, Semenyo, Dean Hugsen and Daniel Jebbison stood out and are ones to look out for in the season ahead.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the pre-season win against Rayo Vallecano: "It was a good workout and very competitive game. Rayo are a very good team and it is not easy to press them, but we had the best chances. I am happy.

"The tougher it is in pre-season, the better it is for us because we have to find the best form individually and collectively for the first game."

On Dominic Solanke's absence: "It is not a big injury, but someone stamped on his foot yesterday [Saturday] and it made no sense to risk him. Hopefully he will be fine and ready for Girona.

"I don't have any other news [about transfer speculation]. I hate it when the market is open and I feel this month with speculation will be difficult. But we just have to focus on our games and worry about the opening games before the market closes."

Image source, Getty Images

Luis Sinisterra scored as Bournemouth beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in their first home pre-season friendly.

What did you learn from this game, Bournemouth fans?

Let us know your thoughts on the match here, external

Bournemouth are considering Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer, 22, as a potential replacement if Dominic Solanke is sold to Tottenham. (Football.London), external

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

Earlier, we asked for your views on Bournemouth's new away kit.

Here are some of your comments:

Clive: Love the shirt, just hope the retro movement doesn't go as far back as the pizza restaurant tablecloth home kit.

Tim: Why do clubs have these awful away strips? Bournemouth’s may be OK for beachwear but it is not a football shirt.

Bosseli: As long as they win when they wear it, that's enough for me!

Yusuf: I like this kit a lot, the blue and green go really well especially with the white and I can't wait to see us with this kit next season.

Image source, AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth have released their 2024-25 away kit, with inspiration taken from a once divisive classic early 90s shirt that is now popular with supporters.

The club said: "The once controversial kit has become a staple amongst the Cherries fan base and the purple and green combination is reimagined here against a white base to provide yet another striking combination which will be worn during away matches in the upcoming season."

Cherries fans, what do you think? Let us know here, external

Image source, Getty Images

New signing Dean Huijsen believes Bournemouth can "beat the record" Premier League points total achieved by Andoni Iraola's side last season.

The Cherries finished 12th on 48 points in Iraola's first campaign in charge despite a shaky start in which they did not win any of their first nine games.

"I think we can have a really good season ahead," Huijsen told the club's media team in his first interview since arriving from Juventus.

"I think we can beat the record with the team we have. So far we've kept all our key players so I'm really excited. Hopefully we can strive to push for something.

"The club is really going upwards. I hope in the next years we can maybe achieve European football and just progress as a club.

"The team play really exciting football. Really progressive, forward football.

"As a club, the coach and the directors gave me a really good feeling. I spoke to him [Iraola] and we had a really good talk so I'm really excited and happy."

Hiujsen, 19, spent last season on loan at Roma and believes the education he has received in Serie A has prepared him well for the rigors of the Premier League.

"Defensively I've improved a lot from when I arrived at Juventus at 16," he added.

"Italy is famous and they really teach you the ins and outs of defending, where to stand and how to run. I think I can take that here and help the team.

"I'm a defender that is really good on the ball. I score quite a lot for a defender. I like playing forward, attacking football. That's how the team plays so I am excited."

Image source, AFC Bournemouth

The Cherries will wear a "special commemorative kit" for their first home game of the Premier League season against Newcastle United on Sunday, 25th August to mark 125 years of AFC Bournemouth.

The kit will feature an anniversary crest to celebrate two key milestones - their 125th anniversary and a decade since the Cherries were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history.

The club will also be releasing a bespoke "1899-2024 range" and a limited amount of boxed commemorative shirts that feature the match date and opposition in the centre of the shirt.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Players like Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund are already suffering from hamstring injuries two weeks before the season even starts - and they say the modern preparation regimes are better, safer and more scientific!

They probably are better. At least the players do not have to go through some of the borderline sadistic routines that previous generations did. Back then, after a decent length of summer break, pre-season meant working incredibly hard over a short period of time to get yourself back in top condition fast.

Sprinting up and down gigantic sand dunes against the clock until many players were physically sick was de rigueur, alongside other road runs and track work.

Here is the weird part: I used to look forward to that, the way a class swot looks forward to exams. Being smaller, lighter and a committed long-distance runner all my young life, even before I became a pro footballer, it was, if not exactly a piece of cake, then certainly much easier for me than most of the rest of the team.

I have asked many modern managers what they would prefer to do in a perfect world during their pre-season. The most common answer is "just about anything other than what we are forced to do now!"

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Teenage defender Dean Huijsen has been described as a player with "exciting potential" after his move to Bournemouth from Juventus was confirmed.

He has signed a six-year contract with the Premier League club.

The Cherries agreed a £12.6m deal to sign Huijsen last week, and it could rise to £15.2m should conditions for performance-related bonuses be met.

The Netherlands-born 19-year-old, who made his Spain Under-21 debut in March, spent the second half of last season on loan at Roma.

"We are delighted to bring in a player of such high calibre on a long-term deal," said Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake.

"Dean is someone that has such exciting potential and we are all excited to see where his journey with the club will go."

We asked for your views on Bournemouth's 2024-25 home kit, inspired by the kit the team wore when they won promotion to the Premier League in 2014-15.

Here are some of your comments:

Howard: A very smart kit, the smartest we have had in recent years in fact. It looks really special with the gold stripe which is a great tribute to the team a decade ago. All things considered, the price is really not bad too and refreshing to see no increase from last year.

Colin: I like the new kit very much, a touch of class.

Fin: Not bad. I would like it more if it had the cherries design like on the Michael B Jordan kit and more stripes.

Nathan: Great launch video. Okay kit. But horrible sponsor. Really hoping there is an option to purchase without. I've got hopes we've gone a bit bolder for the away and third kits.

Image source, Getty Images

Pat Nevin, former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger writing in his Football Extra newsletter:

The pre-season friendlies are in full swing and let's be straight about this, the players generally hate these games, whatever they say.

They clearly haven't had enough rest in the summer, it is a grind getting your body back into peak shape, especially if the accumulated injuries from last season haven’t been allowed to fully recover.

The games themselves are weird affairs, where you would like to win but that is nowhere near the most important thing. Fitness, integrating new players, possibly a new manager and sometimes a new system are each more important. You also know full well that it is a hotch-potch of a team selection to give players minutes. The fans, mass media and social media will read far too much into every game and every performance.

From within the team itself, there are different motivations. A young or new player being given his first chance will be racing about like an overexcited spaniel. Other experienced players will be easing themselves back into it, the primary concern in their minds is to be fit and healthy come the first weekend of the Premier League season.

‌Deep down they don't worry if they get thumped by Celtic or DC United on their US tours, nobody at Chelsea or Aston Villa will remember or care about these results in two weeks' time.

‌Unless of course you are a DC or indeed Celtic fan. The Celts just beat Chelsea and Man City. Now that is impressive pre-season form or is that just Scottish bias.

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Image source, AFC Bournemouth

Bournemouth have revealed their home kit for the 2024-25 season in tribute to the ten-year anniversary of their promotion to the Premier League in 2015.

The red and black striped kit features a gold pinstripe which was seen on the home kit a decade ago in the Championship.

The kit launch video features long serving current squad members Adam Smith and Tommy Elphick as well as club legend Marc Pugh who played a vital role in the Cherries' promotion to the top-flight for the first time.

Bournemouth fans, what do you make of the new kit? Let us know here, external

David Lockwood
BBC Sport Editorial Sustainability Lead

Image source, Getty Images

Los Angeles or Chesterfield? San Diego or Salford?

The pre-season destinations of 20 Premier League clubs may be varied, but the issue remains the same - the impact of so many flights.

Half (10) of the clubs have flown to the United States for friendlies; three have travelled to the Far East and the rest are in Europe and the UK.

Manchester United's pre-season schedule see them flying almost 13,000 miles playing fixtures in Norway, Scotland, and across the US. Chelsea and Tottenham are also expected to fly in excess of 12,000 miles.

In contrast, Everton will fly the least, with just one fixture outside the UK in the Republic of Ireland.

Spurs and Newcastle also played an exhibition fixture in May - three days after the season finished - for which they both flew to Melbourne, Australia, a game Alan Shearer described as “madness”. Add in those air miles and both teams will have travelled in excess of 30,000 air miles in the close-season, equivalent to more than once around the globe, to play in non-competitive matches.

Newcastle and Spurs both have a target to be Net Zero by 2030, while Manchester United and Chelsea are in process of establishing an emissions reduction plan.

Net Zero requires the reduction and removal of all 'non-essential emissions' - so are these games essential?

Wycombe's David Wheeler is a leading sustainability campaigner in football and told BBC Sport: "These games are only necessary in the sense that the clubs want to make more money and grow their fan base".

He added: "The vast majority of players don't want to be away from their families, they don't want to be travelling around the world after a full slog of a season. They're overworked and injuries have gone through the roof, so there is a synergy between player welfare and planetary welfare."

An estimated travelling group of 30 flying 12,864 air miles business class generates around 200 tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 500,000 miles driven by an average petrol car, or the entire annual emissions for a year of 16 people in the UK.

Tottenham said it is "committed to minimising its environmental impact" in all its operations, "which will take time and effort". The club says it "ensures" all teams travel "as sustainably as possible throughout the season". It "measures, manages and reports on travel emissions" and will offsets "where possible."

Read more about the Premier League's pre-season air miles here

We asked for your views on Dean Huijsen, who will sign for Bournemouth subject to completing his medical.

Here are some of your comments:

Richard: Very exciting that we are now attracting players to our club ahead of giants of Serie A and the Bundesliga! Times have changed over the years.

Keith: The Huijsen deal looks another shrewd piece of of business in the mould of Kerkez and Zabarnyi.

Charles: A young player that appears to tick the boxes for Bournemouth. Should fit in with the young squad and a possible investment for the future.

Stew: He seems good value. I really hope his apparent arrogance gets to every striker in the Premier League. Go on youngster, wind them all up.

Tom: Great signing!