- Rayo Vallecano never finished lower than 12th in La Liga under Iraola 
- Bournemouth failed to score in a league-high 18 games last season 
- Recommended bet: Bournemouth top-10 finish

It is a new dawn at the Vitality Stadium where exciting Spanish coach Andoni Iraola is now in charge of a Bournemouth team backed by American billionaire Bill Foley. 

The Foley-lead consortium completed its takeover last December and saw an immediate return on their investment as the Cherries managed to avoid the drop thanks to a late-season surge.

After a respectable finish of 15th, Iraola has been brought in to see if he can help consolidate Bournemouth’s top-flight status, and the former Rayo Vallecano coach has the potential to shake up the Premier League.

Last season

Bournemouth’s first campaign back in the Premier League after two seasons away would end with them in 15th, five points clear of the relegation zone. 

The road to safety was filled with bumps, though, including a record 9-0 defeat to Liverpool, which was promptly followed by the sacking of Scott Parker four games into the season. 

Gary O’Neill took charge on an interim basis and, despite the club being in the relegation places in March, was able to steer them to safety. 

O’Neill’s change of tact to make the Cherries a more counter-attacking side, coupled with some solid work in the January transfer window, saw the south coast side keep their heads above water as they recorded memorable wins over Liverpool and Tottenham in the second half of the season.

The manager

Despite inheriting a tricky situation and proving himself by keeping Bournemouth up, the club parted ways with O’Neill in June after spotting an opportunity to appoint one of Europe’s most exciting coaches.

Rayo Vallecano have been one of Spain’s more eye-catching teams over recent seasons and a lot of the credit has to go to Iraola, who guided them to promotion in his first season in charge before two solid mid-table finishes in La Liga on a shoestring budget.

Having become a disciple of Marcelo Bielsa during his playing days at Athletic Bilbao, Iraola employs a high-tempo, attack-minded approach which saw Rayo pressure teams relentlessly, force plenty of turnovers and register a huge number of shots on goal. 

Iraola has been courted by Premier League clubs in the past and now gets his chance to show what he can do on the big stage.

Transfers

Despite the shift in style and significant backing from the new owners, there has not been a raft of incomings to Bournemouth so far this summer. 

Hamad Traore’s loan move from Sassuolo has been made permanent, while Justin Kluivert has arrived from Valencia to join Bournemouh’s growing collection of pacey attackers.

Promising teenager left-back Milos Kerkez has joined from AZ Alkmaar but may need time to adapt. 

The only other deal of note is goalkeeper Ionut Radu arriving on loan from Inter Milan to be the back-up to Neto, but more incomings are expected before the window shuts.

Strengths and weaknesses

Bournemouth had some major issues at both ends of the pitch last season. Defensively, they shipped 71 goals, the highest number amongst the sides that avoided relegation. 

Iraola’s high-risk, high-reward approach will likely mean they continue to concede a significant number of goals, but they should at least score a few more this time around.

The Cherries failed to score in a league-high 18 games last term, going four matches without a goal at one point. 

Iraola’s changes should help them address that issue with his Rayo side having ranked fifth for shots on goal last season, scoring 166 times in Iraola’s 136-game reign. 

Bournemouth also need to improve their options in centre midfield after the loss of Jefferson Lerma this summer with the tough-tackling Colombian having been a mainstay for the Cherries in the middle of the park for the last five years.

Best outright bet

There are plenty of areas where Bournemouth need to improve, and yet some recent smart recruitment, coupled with a new coach packed full of fresh ideas, has led to a sense of optimism at the Vitality Stadium. 

Iraola worked wonders at Rayo on very little money and now comes to the Premier League to take charge of a club of a similar status, albeit one with significantly more money in the bank.

The Cherries looked like a competent top-flight outfit towards the end of last season and if they can kick on, there could sneak into the top 10 at a decent price.

Back Bournemouth for a top-10 finish with LiveScore Bet at 5/1.