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Dean Huijsen was lured from Juventus with the promise of showcasing his talent in the Premier League - Getty Images/Catherine Ivill
This summer Bournemouth expect there to be offers for Dean Huijsen. The Premier League club had hoped to get two seasons out of the 19-year-old defender, who made his debut for Spain last week, but such has been his outstanding progress that some of the biggest clubs in world football are already vying to sign him.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have all registered an interest in what could be a relatively straightforward deal, given there is a £50 million release clause in the six-year contract that Huijsen signed last July.
Of course, Bournemouth will try hard to keep Huijsen, but they believe he will go on to be one of the top three central defenders in world football, and eventually they will no longer be able to stand in his way.
Crucially, they do not want to. That was part of the pitch in persuading Huijsen to sign from Juventus and showcase himself in the Premier League, which has undoubtedly worked, as his Spain call-up confirmed.
So, ahead of Bournemouth’s FA Cup quarter-final at home to Manchester City on Sunday, as they attempt to reach the semi-finals for the first time in their 126-history, this is the story of how the club plan to be a top 10 Premier League side with a new DNA.
Bournemouth want to be a club who consistently challenge for European qualification and with a sustainable business model despite having the top flight’s smallest stadium, with a capacity of just 11,300, and one of the lowest budgets in the division, paying a highest player wage of £110,000 a week. (It may sound a lot, but it is not in Premier League terms).
Bournemouth are 10th – having finished 12th last season – with remarkable wins over City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur plus a 5-0 victory over third-placed Nottingham Forest and a 4-1 win away to Newcastle United.
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Antoine Semenyo celebrates scoring in Bournemouth’s Premier League win over Manchester City last November - Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson
They are just four points off the top five, with Champions League qualification a possibility. Almost as impressive has been the thrilling football they have played.
The club’s immediate goal is to do better season-on-season. In the past campaign Bournemouth achieved 48 points. They already have 44 points with nine games to go and want to be ready to capitalise on the under-achievement of bigger clubs such as Manchester United and Tottenham.
Owner Bill Foley, in the first three years of his ownership, has ploughed £300 million into signing players, which has not yet been balanced by sales. It was required at that time but could not continue – there needs to be a return, not least to comply with Premier League financial rules. Bournemouth are also moving into a new £28 million training ground at Canford Magna and have plans for a new stadium to match their ambition.
So Bournemouth intend to be a “platform club”, prepared to trade when the time is right and with a very clear plan of the type of players they want and the football they intend to play under their much-coveted coach Andoni Iraola, whom they are desperate to keep. (More on his future later).
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Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has taken the side to 10th in Premier League - Getty Images/Robin Jones
Having signed Huijsen for £12.5 million, if the release clause is met, Bournemouth will quadruple their investment inside a year, which is some return. It is just one example of smart recruitment and refining their style under Iraola while continuing to do better.
Unlike Huijsen not all of Bournemouth’s players have release clauses. There is also strong interest in 21-year-old Milos Kerkez, Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert (both 25), but there is no way Bournemouth will sell more than one or two of their prize assets in a season. And even then it will only be on their terms; when they are ready and with a significant profit.
Take Huijsen. Bournemouth already have a list of candidates to replace him and have spoken to their agents. As he is a right-footed centre-back being used on the left the list is longer than usual – normally Bournemouth have a maximum of six per position – given they may want a left or right-footed player.
Key to Huijsen signing for Bournemouth was working with Iraola, but also Tiago Pinto, who was hired for the newly-created role of president of football operations last year and who previously worked as general manager at Roma, where he took Huijsen on loan. Before that the Portuguese, whose remit includes working closely with first-team technical director Simon Francis and being involved in decision-making and negotiations, had been director of football at Benfica.
It says much for the attraction of the Premier League that Bournemouth can bring in players of the calibre and potential of Huijsen, but also executives such as 37-year-old Pinto.
It was the same when Bournemouth sold Dominic Solanke to Spurs for an impressive £65 million last August. It was an offer they felt they could not turn down for the 27-year-old striker they signed for £19 million from Liverpool, but only because they already had their shortlist ready and anticipated their top scorer would leave.
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Brazilian Evanilson, signed for a club-record £40m, is a perfect fit for Bournemouth’s style under Iraola - Getty Images/Dan Istitene
That list was headed by Evanilson, a Brazilian signed from Porto for a club record £40 million. Also on it were Eddie Nketiah, who joined Crystal Palace from Arsenal for £30 million and German striker Max Beier, whom Borussia Dortmund acquired for £25 million from Hoffenheim. All were lined up.
But Evanilson was the one they wanted. At 25, he is a young, hungry player who is physical and can press and fits the progressive, energetic style of football Iraola coaches, with its man-for-man marking all over the pitch – just like Huijsen and Julian Araujo, 23, who was signed from Barcelona last summer. Kepa Arrizabalaga is older, at 30, but even he is five years younger than the goalkeeper he replaced, Neto, who moved to Arsenal.
It means Bournemouth have quickly and successfully transformed themselves into a club with one of the Premier League’s youngest average starting XIs, behind only Chelsea, Brighton and Tottenham.
While, like other well-run clubs, Bournemouth are big on data and analysis when it comes to recruiting players, they are probably less dependent. They still believe that, led by Francis, their scouting network is vital and they want to see players before they buy. They set great store by attitude and behaviour as well as what the data shows.
If Huijsen goes it is extremely unlikely that another young star, Illia Zabarnyi, who is also being looked at by bigger clubs, will leave. The 22-year-old Ukrainian has caught the eye as Huijsen’s central defensive partner but Bournemouth believe it would be too much to sell both at the same time and would go against their principle.
That principle can be explained as follows: Are the club at a point where they cannot develop the player further and it is the right time to sell? Or is it right to sell because they are unlikely to get another offer like this – as with Solanke?
Even then, Bournemouth are very clear to players, agents and other clubs – they will never sell four or five players in the same season. They want to remain competitive and will only trade when the time is right and they are ready.
They are not alone in this. Bournemouth can probably be bracketed with Brighton and Brentford as progressive, smaller clubs who have a vision of what they want and how to achieve it and are aligned from boardroom to dugout. Fulham likewise, although they do not necessarily buy players to develop and sell. In Bournemouth’s case it helps that they have an owner such as Foley and a coach such as Iraola.
Owner following multi-club model
Foley, an American billionaire who took control in December 2022, also owns ice hockey team Vegas Golden Knights and has been involved in Davis Cup tennis. The 80-year-old businessman has a real appreciation of sport. He is often seen having lunch with the Bournemouth players at the training ground and understands how a dressing room works. That is unusual in football club ownership.
Foley is also following a multi-club model. He bought Bournemouth through Black Knight, a group of investors who then acquired a 30 per cent stake in French side Lorient, and a minority holding in Hibernian and New Zealand club Auckland. They are also in negotiations to purchase Moreirense in Portugal.
The intention is to work together with the other clubs, especially in developing young players. Foley has already talked about how Moreirense will give Bournemouth greater access to the Brazilian market.
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Bournemouth owner Bill Foley understands sport - Getty Images/Catherine Ivil
Iraola also fits Bournemouth perfectly. There was an outcry when he replaced Gary O’Neil in June 2023 but now the club’s concern is keeping hold of the Spaniard, with Spurs among potential suitors.
Bournemouth do not want to contemplate losing Iraola and with one year left on his contract after this season, the club are trying to persuade him to sign a new deal. There is hope, and some optimism, that the 42-year-old will do so, not least because Bournemouth have built a team to suit his style. He is critical to their work and they hope he will believe that work is not yet done.
But if Iraola does go, Bournemouth will recruit a similar coach who is focused on developing players and the team, not an old-style manager who wants to try to control everything from recruitment to communication. They will not veer from their model and their identity. The DNA has been set.
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