Andoni Iraola will leave Bournemouth in the summer after three seasons in charge, ending a spell that has taken the club to the edge of Europe and set up one last push in the Premier League. Bournemouth sit sixth with two games left and need one point to secure European football, with Manchester City due at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday at 19:30 BST.
Iraola, who arrived in 2023 to replace Gary O'Neil, said the best way to finish would be to cap these three seasons with qualification. He also said this campaign has been especially demanding because the squad has changed a lot and the style has shifted, even if not completely, from last season. The pressure is real because Bournemouth are four points off a Champions League place and could still end up in the Conference League, depending on results.
The numbers underline how far Bournemouth have come. They have never played in European competition in their 127-year history, but they are already in a Europa League spot and could yet climb higher. Sixth may even be enough for Champions League football if Aston Villa beat Freiburg in the Europa League final and finish fifth, which gives Bournemouth a narrow route into the competition they have never reached before.
There is also a final twist in Tuesday’s match. Antoine Semenyo will return to the Vitality Stadium with Manchester City, after Bournemouth sold him in the January transfer window. Bournemouth have not lost since then, going 16 matches unbeaten in the Premier League and last falling to leaders Arsenal on 3 January. That run has turned a season that once looked uncertain into one that now carries real stakes, with Nottingham Forest away on Sunday at 16:00 BST after the City game.
The last two fixtures will decide whether Iraola’s exit is marked by a historic European qualification or by one missed chance too many. Bournemouth need only one point to make sure of a place on the continent, but after 16 unbeaten league matches, the club is no longer chasing a milestone in theory. It is chasing it at full speed, with the finish line in sight.
