Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net
(Credit: Imago)
Jonathan Burnett
Tue 12 August 2025 13:34, UK
Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth squad continues to be picked apart after another big-money transfer was announced.
Bournemouth‘s improvement under Iraola continued last season as they recorded a ninth-place Premier League finish with their best ever points tally of 56, but the Spaniard’s squad now looks unrecognisable.
The Cherries’ best players have been cherry-picked by European giants like Real Madrid and Liverpool this summer, who have signed Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez respectively for £50million and £40million.
Several other members of Iraola’s side have been linked with moves away this summer, and although Bournemouth’s £70m price tag proved enough to keep Antoine Semenyo at the club, that stance hasn’t prevented yet another key exit.
Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth have had a difficult transfer window (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
With Kepa Arrizabalaga returning to Chelsea before a cut-price move to Arsenal, as well as Huijsen and Kerkez’s departures this summer, Bournemouth’s impressive defence from last season will be no more.
Illia Zabarnyi has now added to that exodus after his £57.1m move to PSG was confirmed on Monday, to become Bournemouth’s third defensive sale of the summer and leaving Iraola with rebuilding to do.
Zabarnyi’s exit takes Bournemouth’s transfer income above £150m this summer, and the Ukraine centre-back posted on Instagram (12 August) to say his goodbyes to the club in a lengthy, emotional message.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Semenyo was one of several Cherries players to comment on Zabarnyi’s post, saying: “[the] pleasure is ours brother” alongside two heart emojis in response to the 22-year-old’s exit message.
View this post on Instagram
View Instagram Post
Football Insider Verdict
Semenyo signing a new long-term contract at the Vitality Stadium is one of few ‘wins’ for Bournemouth in this summer’s transfer window, with Iraola seeing three quarters of last season’s backline sold so far.
Bournemouth have directly addressed Kerkez and Kepa’s departures with the signings of Adrien Truffert and Djordje Petrovic respectively, but face a huge battle to fill the hole left by Huijsen and Zabarnyi.
The Cherries may be closing in on a £30m deal for Lille centre-back Bafode Diakite, but much more improvement is needed before the end of August for Iraola to even try and build on their stellar campaign last season.
Related Posts
For more news relating to Chelsea, visit our sister site Chelsea Latest Live.
![[Valid RSS]](../valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")