In December 2023 – a year after taking control of the club – Foley said he was confident Bournemouth would qualify for Europe within the next five years.
After following an impressive 2023-24 campaign with another outstanding season including wins over Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle, Iraola could be about to lead the Cherries into continental competition far quicker than Foley or anyone else had anticipated.
They could end the weekend eight points outside the top seven, but eighth place may still be enough to secure Conference League football in 2024-25.
For a club who were playing in League One as recently as 2013, it is a tantalising prospect.
Indeed, Iraola’s downcast demeanour following Saturday’s draw only serves to highlight how far Bournemouth have come.
“We cannot be happy with this point,” he said. “Before the game, [we thought a draw] is not a bad result, coming to a stadium this difficult.
“But considering how the game has gone, we cannot be happy. I feel we have not used the extra player in the proper way.”
Bournemouth were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men themselves after referee Sam Barratt opted against showing midfielder Alex Scott a second yellow card 10 minutes before Richards’ dismissal.
It may be nothing more than a silver lining for Iraola and his players, but the point does at least extend Bournemouth’s unbeaten league run to three games – their longest streak since going 11 games without defeat between November 2024 and January 2025.
“Iraola has been able to grow and develop his squad,” former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Final Score. “They have been able to establish themselves in the Premier League.
“He is very tactically astute and uses his bench well, which is a credit to his in-game management and squad depth.”
Next up for Bournemouth is a home match against Manchester United, a team they beat 3-0 at Old Trafford this season.
By the end of next weekend, Bournemouth may not only be closing in on European qualification, they may have moved a step closer to ensuring Iraola remains at the helm.
Leave a Reply