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What Does The Future Hold For Bournemouth’s On Loan Contingent
Blogs

What Does The Future Hold For Bournemouth’s On Loan Contingent

What Does The Future Hold For Bournemouth’s On Loan Contingent?

Bournemouth are very much a club on the rise at the moment. Despite some poor results recently, European qualification is a very realistic ambition this season, which could have big consequences if it was realised. Because of how good this season has been for them, a lot of their players are being looked at by bigger clubs but a chance to play in Europe for the Cherries might make some players stay. The future is a big unknown for a lot of Bournemouth players, but there are others, mainly those on loan, who already know what will happen in the summer.

The Goalkeeping Situation

Mark Travers has only ever been Bournemouth’s first choice keeper when they were in the Championship, however it was a stellar campaign from the Irish international. Since promotion, he has had to play second fiddle and because of that, has demanded some game time on loan at Stoke City and currently Middlesbrough. He has performed quite well at Middlesbrough and is definitely at least Championship level, however he has aims of becoming first choice at the Cherries.

The current goalkeeping situation at Bournemouth is complicated. They have three goalkeepers out on loan, while their starting shot-stopper is on loan himself from Chelsea. It is unclear whether or not the south coast club will buy Kepa Arrizabalaga permanently, but even if they don’t they’ll still have plenty of choices. Neto, who had been first choice prior to this season is on loan at Arsenal, however he has barely kicked a ball all season, and Andoni Iraola will be looking to move him on next season. Alex Paulsen has had an outstanding season in the A-League with Auckland FC, so he looks like he could become a regular at Bournemouth, having signed last summer.

Of their three goalkeepers out on loan, the one most likely to stay beyond this season is Paulsen, however the Cherries are also likely to want to keep a hold of Travers too. Neto’s time on the south coast is most likely over, however I’m not too sure who would want to buy him given his lack of recent game time and his age.

Chris Mepham - CB

Bournemouth are quite light at the heart of defence and with Dean Huijsen likely to leave in the summer, they might be looking at reintegrating Welsh defender Chris Mepham into the squad. He joined the Cherries back in 2018, but he didn’t really get much game time until they were relegated to the Championship. Since promotion he has had to settle into a rotational role and decided in the summer that he wanted regular game time.

He joined Sunderland on loan and has played almost every game for them since as they look to earn promotion to the Premier League. He seems to be enjoying his football in the north east and with his contract running out in the summer, it looks as if he won’t be playing for Bournemouth next season. If Sunderland fail to earn promotion this season, they might look at signing him permanently as he is certainly good enough for teams at the top of the Championship.

Max Aarons - RB

Max Aarons’ Bournemouth career hasn’t been what many expected after he made his move nearly two years ago. Once one of the best young players in the world, Aarons was close to moves to Barcelona and Bayern Munich just five years ago, but now he has been forced out of Bournemouth due to a lack of play time.

In January he made a loan move to Valencia having played just four appearances all season for the Cherries. His time in La Liga has echoed his recent fortunes in the Premier League, as he made his debut for the club off the bench in a 7-1 humiliation by Barcelona and hasn’t featured since. It is such a sad turn of events for the former Norwich City full back, but he is still just 25 years old, so he still has time to turn it around. It seems as if a move away is inevitable, however with four years still left on his contract Bournemouth will probably only let him go on loan again.

Joe Rothwell - CM

Like Aarons, Rothwell hasn’t really made much progress in his footballing career since joining Bournemouth. He had one half decent season when they first made a return to the top flight under both Scott Parker and Gary O’Neil, however under Iraola, he has been frozen out. First came an unsuccessful loan move to Southampton and this season he has been at Leeds.

He has made quite a few appearances for Leeds however a lot of them have come because of injuries to other midfielders. If the whole squad were fit, Rothwell would likely find himself on the bench for most games. The midfielder’s contract at Bournemouth expires in 2026, so the Cherries will probably be looking to move him on this summer. Whether Leeds decide to make the move permanent is yet to be seen, however he has certainly made the case to other Championship clubs that he is a defensively solid and creative minded midfielder.

Philip Billing - CM

Philip Billing’s career trajectory has been a strange one. He started out at Huddersfield, playing nearly 100 games for them before joining Bournemouth in 2019. He was a popular figure on the south coast, especially during their two Championship seasons and under O’Neil, however he has fallen out of favour under Iraola because the two like to play their football very differently. He played the role of a substitute well in the first 18 months under the Spanish coach, but wanted a change of scenery in January.

Despite not playing regular first team football for some time, Napoli, who are chasing their second league title in three years, decided that he would fit nicely into their system. He hasn’t made many appearances in Italy since he joined, however he did score a vital equaliser against Inter. Napoli have an option to buy the Dane in the summer for just £9m and while I’m not sure whether they will take that option, it is clear that Bournemouth don’t see Billing in their future plans.

Romain Faivre - AM

There was a lot of hype for Romain Faivre when he joined Lyon back in 2022 however three years on he is now on loan from Bournemouth at Stade Brestois. He has hardly had a kick on the south coast as he was initially bought by the Cherries so that he could be loaned back out to sister club Lorient after they couldn’t agree an extension to his initial loan with Lyon. However discipline issues cut that loan short and he joined up with the Cherries for the second half of last season before being sent out to Brest.

This season he has been in and out of the Brest side both in the league and the Champions League. The French side are unlikely to make the move permanent however he could still leave the Cherries in the summer. Iraola clearly doesn’t have plans to include the 26-year-old in the club’s future as he has kept the likes of David Brooks and Marcus Tavernier at the club instead of him and despite his evident potential, he has failed to live up to the hype that he arrived at Lyon with.

Hamed Traore - AM

Like Faivre, Traore was a really exciting player when he joined Bournemouth, initially on loan, back in 2023, however since then he has hardly managed to get into the squad. He made seven league appearances under O’Neil, and when Iraola came in he featured even less. After several mysterious absences from the Bournemouth squad, Iraola confirmed that Traore had contracted Malaria back towards the end of 2023 and was recovering. Since then he has had two loan moves, one at Napoli and this season he has been in France with Auxerre.

The Ivorian midfielder has been a revelation in France, and is leading Auxerre’s scoring charts this season with 10. He also has two assists for the club as they currently sit in 11th in the league. His consistency has been incredible since he joined and I’m sure Iraola will be looking at his progress with interest, especially as both Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo have caught the eye of some top European clubs this season.

Jaidon Anthony - LW

Jaidon Anthony’s Bournemouth career is more than likely over, as he hasn’t been able to keep up to speed with Iraola’s system of play. The 26 year old has been at the club since 2016, and while he excelled in the Championship, his Premier League career has left a lot to be desired. This summer he linked back up with his old coach Scott Parker at Burnley and while he has had some good games, he hasn’t been a regular starter for them. The side look like they could get promoted this season, and that would most likely mean even less game time for the winger.

Anthony has one year left on his contract at Bournemouth, so they’ll be wanting to move him on in the summer. He has the ability to play for a Championship side that is challenging for the title, so one of the relegated sides could snap him up for cheap. Despite being born and raised in England, he is likely to switch allegiances to Jamaica as he qualifies for them through his parents’ ancestry.

Eli Junior Kroupi - FW

Eli Junior Kroupi only joined Bournemouth in January and he was loaned straight back to his old club Lorient for the remainder of the season. The young Frenchman is currently having an incredible season in France, having scored 13 goals this season in the league as well as registering three assists. He was recently called up to the French U20s squad and is looking to add more international experience to his CV in the coming weeks.

It is still very early in Kroupi’s Bournemouth career to make assessments as to whether or not he will play for them next season, however I can see him getting a loan move to the Championship next season to prepare him for English football. He doesn’t turn 20 until the summer of 2026, so there is plenty of time for him to develop into the talent that Iraola sees in him.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Jake Martin

Website Editor

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