Do Bournemouth have an injury crisis?

This season there has been a lot of talk about Arsenal and Tottenham having major problems with injuries, but other teams, less covered by mainstream media have been having similar issues. One of those clubs is Bournemouth, and the list keeps getting longer and longer.

Defensive Absentees

Against Everton, Bournemouth were missing three of their back four and goalkeeper. While Kepa Arrizabalaga was missing due to the birth of twins recently, the other two defensive starters were missing through long term injury. Marcos Senesi injured his quad back at the beginning of December and had to have surgery and Adam Smith has been injured for a similar length of time but he looks close to a return.

🤩🍒 pic.twitter.com/2Go2GqFqAj

— Marcos Senesi (@senesimarcos) October 19, 2024

Dean Huijsen has stepped up excellently in Senesi’s absence, scoring two important goals against Tottenham and Manchester United. The right back situation has been more complicated, as Adam Smith’s back up, Julian Araujo has also been injured for some time. He is expected back in February after surgery in November so for a few weeks now, Bournemouth have been using Lewis Cook, a midfielder, and James Hill, a centre-back with very little top flight experience, in his place.

Missing in Midfield

Midfield has been Bournemouth’s least worrying position as all three of their starters have been available for every game this season except when suspended. Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie have shown in the last season and a half that they are two of the most underrated pivots in the Premier League as they dominate Bournemouth’s midfield, while Justin Kluivert has added goals to Bournemouth’s attack from a number 10 position.

Alex Scott on IG #AFCB pic.twitter.com/nXiF2fFVOD

— Talkcherries_afcb (@TalkBournemouth) January 7, 2025

Alex Scott signed 18 months ago from Bristol City after being named the EFL Young Player of the Season for the previous campaign, but his career in a Bournemouth shirt has been ruined by injuries. He sustained a knee injury back in October which has seen him miss much of the season, but he is expected back by the end of the month. Tyler Adams has been in and out of the team with fatigue and small injuries since returning from an extended period out at the start of the season. Marcus Tavernier can play both as a winger or an attacking midfield option, and he has been missing for almost a month, but he could return in the coming weeks.

Winging it on the Wing

The injury problems that Bournemouth have on the wing now aren’t as bad as they were at one point, but they still are quite worrying. Tavernier would be the first choice on the left of the attack, but he has been out for the best part of a month. Luis Sinisterra is the second choice on that side, and he too has been missing for an extended period of time. Like Tavernier and Smith, he is expected back soon, should there be no setbacks to his recovery.

Right now, those are the only injuries on the wing, but even two missing for a club the size of Bournemouth is a big issue. Dango Ouattara has been good since he returned from a spell out, and David Brooks is finally contributing to goals, but neither of these players are really good enough to play a full 90 minutes for a side pushing for Europe.

Striker Setbacks

The biggest issue right now for Bournemouth is their number nine position. Earlier this week, Evanilson underwent surgery for a toe injury that will see him miss at least two, if not three months. While his goal scoring this season hasn’t blown anyone away, his work ethic and hold up play has been integral to the way Bournemouth play, and that is hard to replicate. Enes Unal is a decent option to replace him, but he too is now injured, having ruptured his ACL in training. This means that, with the exception of Daniel Jebbison who is out on loan at Watford, Bournemouth have no fit strikers at the club.

List of Player Injured In The AFC Bournemouth Squad (8)
1. Enes Unal
2. Evanilson
3. Adam Smith
4. Marcos Senesi
5. Julian Araujo
6. Alex Scott
7. Marcus Tavernier
8. Luis Sinisterra

— Archiegamer7 (@Archiegamer7) January 8, 2025

This means that Andoni Iraola will be forced to make some movements in the transfer window. He has already brought in defensive reinforcements, even though these players are more for the future than right now, but he will need to purchase a striker, and these don’t come cheap.