Bournemouth

Henry Cowling
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

As the Christmas leftovers run out and planning for New Year's Eve parties reaches its peak, it is almost time to say goodbye to 2025.

With nostalgia rife at this time of year, let's take a look at some of the statistical feats for this year.

No prizes for guessing who tops the Premier League goalscoring charts in 2025. Manchester City's Erling Haaland has amassed 27 league goals in that time, 10 clear of second-placed Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Haaland averages a goal every 96 minutes – no other player with 13 goals or more is less than140 minutes.

However, Haaland is not the most lethal finisher of 2025 in the Premier League despite an impressive shot conversion rate of 27.8%.

Neither is Brentford forward Igor Thiago, who has converted 28.9% of his chances – the best of any player with 10 goals or more across the calendar year.

The players with a better conversion rate – Brennan Johnson, Junior Kroupi and Jack Hinshelwood – have all scored five or six goals. Tottenham's Johnson leads the way overall with a conversion rate of 33.3%.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Their 4-1 defeat by Brentford last time out was "quite easy to analyse": "We arrived 45 minutes late to a Premier League game and there were things in the first half that I cannot accept. I didn't recognise my team - that's why I made the substitutions at half-time and we looked a lot better."

• All of the players must "accept and take responsibility" for the performance, which extended the Cherries' winless run to nine matches.

• On their current form: "It depends how you react. If you finish hungry and upset, you can use those feelings for the next game. It was a big loss on Saturday [against Brentford] but I hope we can use this hunger."

• However, he acknowledged Bournemouth will have to be at their "very best" to come away with points against Chelsea, who are currently fifth in the table: "If you're OK or just quite good, it isn't going to be enough. You have to be at the best of your levels."

• Regardless, Bournemouth will travel to Stamford Bridge "with the aim of recovering the feelings and being competitive against this kind of team" after their recent 0-0 draw against Enzo Maresca's side earlier this month.

• On the potential of keeping another clean sheet against the Blues: "It's going to be difficult. We need to improve our performance defensively because they are a team that can score goals very easily. They have so many threats."

• He believes the possibility of Antoine Semenyo leaving in January is something he cannot control: "I have a clear position on it and I don't want to lose him. If it happens, we still have to continue competing - we have no other choice."

• He added the Ghana forward is a "massive player" for the club, who "contributes goals and assists, gives the side energy and physicality, and is a very good character" in the dressing room.

• On the club's January transfer window plans, Iraola said: "The club is working on things in case he leaves, but obviously it's impossible to replace someone like him. It's impossible, especially in the January market where nobody wants to lose good players."

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Kev: The first half was the best I've seen us play. 4-0 would have been fair at half-time. Bournemouth were always going to have some moments and were good in the second half but the damage had been done. Great first half of season for Keith Andrews.

Ian: That was something special at the Gtech. The team played as a unit from the first minute. Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade tormented the Bournemouth defence in the air and on the deck. The midfield of Mathias Jensen, Yehor Yarmoluik and Vitaly Janelt supplied the passes to create the chances while Michael Kayode, Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins and Rico Henry kept their shape against the Bournemouth attacks, especially in the second half! Keith Andrews and the backroom staff take a bow.

Tim: The most complete Bees performance of the season so far. Yarmo was immense; Schade and Thiago worked their socks off and Jensen seemed invigorated by his more forward role. More like this please!

Matt: Magnificent. Looked threatening from the off, weathered the pressure that Bournemouth put us under in the second half, and deserved the three points. Schade is unstoppable when he is confident and finally we have a song for Yehor Yarmoliuk! His progress this season has been amazing and is fast becoming a linchpin in the side. Ajer and Collins put their bodies on the line with tackles and blocks too - an all-round great performance.

Bournemouth fans

Simon: It breaks my heart to see the Cherries play like this. It can't be a coincidence that with all the noise about Antoine Semenyo, Marcos Senesi and Andoni Iraola leaving the club this season, we look lost at sea. I hope the club has a plan B in place.

Charl: Not surprised by this result at all. Massive hole in midfield. No protection in front of a poor defence and if we let Senesi go we are going to struggle. We are missing Tyler Adams, David Brooks and Ryan Christie. What's happened to Marcus Tavernier and Justin Kluivert? They're not the same players.

Sid: Defensively, Bournemouth are never going to be able to compete with the physicality and speed of Brentford or any similar team. Although he couldn't be faulted with the goals today, the nervousness and poor performances of Djordje Petrovic this season has drained the confidence of the back four. Why did we not try and bring Aaron Ramsdale back in the summer?

Thomas: Iraola needs to start to be questioned. Poor performance after poor performance.

Liverpool are set to rival Manchester City and step up their £65m pursuit of Bournemouth's 25-year-old Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo. (Telegraph), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-1 Brighton

• Liverpool 2-1 Wolves

• Chelsea 1-2 Aston Villa

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Prior to kick-off, only struggling Burnley (24) had conceded more Premier League goals on their travels this term than the Cherries (then 23).

But this performance only served to underline why Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth side are so porous on the road and have been dragged towards a battle at the wrong end of the table, having been a lofty second in October.

Central defenders Marcos Senesi and Bafode Diakite endured a torrid opening 45 minutes in which they appeared panicked not only by the pace but physicality of both Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago.

That was also not helped by Alex Scott appearing ill at ease with the defensive aspects of a role that did not suit his attacking instincts.

Yet until the Spaniard rolled the dice with a triple change at half-time, there was little that anyone could offer in his team's defence.

Had Justin Kluivert's effort found the net instead of the woodwork, it may have provided them with a route back into the contest sooner.

While Iraola could at least take pride from the fact that 18 of their 20 efforts on goal arrived during a transformed second 45 minutes, their defensive frailties meant that the scoreline could easily have also been even more damaging.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's defeat by Brentford: "I think the game is quite easy to analyse. We cannot start playing in the second half. If we lose in the second half I'm all in for it.

"But in the first half we weren't recognisable. We were not aggressive, we did not want to attack. I'm very disappointed with our performance in the first half. We completely deserved the 2-0.

"You cannot concede 45 minutes in the Premier League, no chance. We haven't been aggressive enough. We had to be brave. There has to be an intensity and there wasn't in the first half. I was so disappointed at half-time. I did three changes, I could've done more.

Are you concerned about Bournemouth's poor form? "No, I'm concerned about our performance in the first half. I accept you can lose games, but in the second half we were perfect. We have to look at ourselves why we were 45 minutes late to starter the game. We can accept mistakes, missed passes, but you have to give 100%, today it was not like this in the beginning."

Did you know?

• Antoine Semenyo has been directly involved in 21 Premier League goals (15 goals, 6 assists) in 2025, the first ever Bournemouth to have more than 20 goals and assists combined in a calendar year in the competition.

• Bournemouth have conceded more goals than any other side in Europe's big-five leagues (22) since the start of November.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Brentford make one change to the side that started their 2-0 Premier League victory at Wolves on 20 December as Kristoffer Ajer comes in for Sepp van den Berg.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Collins, Ajer, Henry, Yarmolyuk, Janelt, Jensen, Schade, Thiago, Lewis-Potter.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Pinnock, Henderson, Nelson, Damsgaard, Konak, Nunes Donovan.

Bournemouth make three alterations to the side that began their 1-1 draw against Burnley a week ago. Alex Scott, Adam Smith and Junior Kroupi all come in as David Brooks, Evanilson and Justin Kluivert drop to the bench.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert, Tavernier, Cook, Smith, Scott, Semenyo, Kroupi.

Subs: Dennis, Soler, Brooks, Evanilson, Christie, Adli, Kluivert, Hill, Unal.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (12:30)

• Arsenal v Brighton - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brentford v Bournemouth

• Burnley v Everton

• Liverpool v Wolves - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Fulham

• Chelsea v Aston Villa (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Brighton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Aston Villa", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Brentford picked up their first away win of the season against Wolves last time out, and their home form is really strong, although Leeds held them in their most recent game there.

I feel like this game has got goals in it, because Bournemouth seem to score and concede a lot.

The Cherries have drawn their past three games, and I have a feeling this is one will also end up with the points being shared.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford welcome Bournemouth to the capital with both sides seeking to advance up the Premier League table. BBC Sport explores some of the talking points ahead of Saturday's game (15:00 GMT).

Brentford's excellent record against Cherries

Brentford were among the bookmakers' favourites for relegation prior to the start of this season and while that still remains a possibility, it looks unlikely right now.

Losing former manager Thomas Frank to Spurs in June plus key players Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard during the summer sparked some fears of a return to the Championship, but Keith Andrews was promoted from within and has so far done a steady job as the club's head coach.

The Irishman led his side to a 2-0 win at bottom side Wolves last weekend that ended a run of four straight away defeats. It was also a first success since they beat Burnley in late November.

Victories have, however, come consistently enough to maintain a healthy mid-table position and they have lost just one of their eight Premier League home games this season, drawing two and winning five.

Brentford sit 10 points above the drop zone, one ahead of Frank's Tottenham and only three behind seventh-placed Manchester United. Another win this weekend could see them make a significant move up the table if other results go their way.

The Bees will certainly fancy their chances on Saturday, given their recent record against Bournemouth. They are unbeaten in eight league and cup meetings with the south coast side and have won the past four in a row.

The Cherries have lost nine and drawn five of their previous 15 away league games versus Brentford and that sole victory was 2-0 at Griffin Park in League One some 20 years ago.

Cherries in a sticky spell

Bournemouth were second in the Premier League table after the opening nine games but they have failed to win any of their eight in the top flight since, drawing four and losing four to slip down to 15th.

Andoni Iraola's side have led in each of their past two matches – away at Manchester United and at home to Burnley – but failed to close out either of them, with the Clarets equalising in the 90th minute last Saturday.

"We didn't kill the game in the moments we were playing better," said the Spanish head coach after that 1-1 draw. "This is the Premier League and you cannot have these mistakes defensively and offensively."

The 43-year-old was also quizzed about the possibility of losing top scorer Antoine Semenyo in January. Recent reports state that the Ghana winger has a £65m release clause in his contract that can be activated during the first two weeks of the forthcoming transfer window.

Semenyo has scored eight times in the top flight this season and has been directly involved in 20 Premier League goals in 2025, with 14 goals and six assists. That's seven more than he mustered in 2024 and his tally equals Dominic Solanke's club record for goal involvements in a calendar year, set in 2023.

Semenyo is only the second Ghanaian to reach 20 Premier League goals and assists in a single year after striker Tony Yeboah, who scored 22 times and assisted three for Leeds United in 1995.

Bournemouth and Chelsea are both interested in Lazio's 25-year-old Spanish defender Mario Gila. (Il Messaggero - in Italian), external

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The easiest answer would be: Some good news.

Two months ago, the Cherries were riding high. On 18 October, they hit the top of the "as it stands" Premier League table for just over an hour during a 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace, while a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest a week later put them second in the league.

Alas, a sequence of four losses interspersed with four draws in the eight games since then have left them languishing in 15th place.

Meanwhile, the BBC gossip column regurgitates daily rumours about which of the "big six" clubs Cherries star player Antoine Semenyo is likely to join in January, while boss Andoni Iraola and key defender Marcos Senesi are about to enter the final six months of their contracts.

To add to recent disappointments, Tyler Adams is the latest name to join Veljko Milosavljevic and Ben Gannon-Doak in the treatment room from which Ryan Christie has only just emerged.

Things look better off the field, with a state-of-the-art training ground opened earlier this year and long-overdue expansion of Vitality Stadium to take place in 2026.

But a dash of good news, such as a new signing or (even better) an Iraola contract extension, would be the perfect Christmas gift.

BBC Radio Solent's Cherries:Unpicked podcast has returned with a look at Antoine Semenyo's future amid growing speculation linking the Bournemouth forward with Manchester City.

Host Jordan Clark and former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington delved into this topic, with Partington admitting that he was surprised by City's interest in the winger.

"I know he's good, and I don't want to suggest that he's not good enough for Manchester City, he is, but I didn't think Manchester City need him," Partington said.

"Obviously, at the moment, City are playing very well and possibly want to add options for themselves, but they are scoring a lot of goals recently. I don't know, perhaps their recruitment team has seen something that Semenyo could add to Manchester City's title charge. I didn't expect that.

"A lot of the rumours were around Liverpool. I would have expected Manchester United were crying out for forward players to beat people. I wouldn't have been surprised by that either. If you had given me the list of Premier League teams, I wouldn't have put City on top of the people that are going to sign him."

Meanwhile, Jordan Clark shared his perspective on the potential risks and uncertainties for Semenyo.

"I am a little bit surprised because there is a lot of talk at the moment about Pep Guardiola's future and maybe City's future being uncertain, and that makes it a brave move from Antoine Semenyo," said Clark.

"He doesn't know who is going to be in charge next, or maybe he's been given reassurance that Pep is going to stay.

"You know what else is in the back of my mind, is that he knows Pep is going and Andoni [Iraola] is going to be the next man at Manchester City. I am just plucking that out of thin air."

Listen to the full episode here

Explore all Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are ready to battle it out for Bournemouth and Argentina defender, Marcos Senesi, 28, who has informed the Cherries he is leaving the club in 2026. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola said they "won't really know until the day before" who is available to face Crystal Palace, but he expects a "very similar picture to the one before Burnley" in the last round of fixtures.

• On winger Antoine Semenyo's future: "Semenyo right now is with us. He trained today with us. I know there is lots of noise around him, it's not my concern. My concern is that it doesn't affect his performances. It isn't doing, he is very committed to the team and I hope we can keep him here."

• He added: "It's a situation we cannot control, but Antoine right now is our player. He is going to continue playing for us. If you ask me, I don't want to lose him, definitely don't, but every time the market opens, you never know what's going to happen."

• On if he understands the club's position having given him a new contract with the release clause: "The situation, myself as a coach, I don't control. When you sign a contract, I understand both parties are happy when you sign it. But me, as a coach, I can only tell you I hope we don't lose him because he is very important for us."

• After going eight Premier League matches without a win, despite some good performances, he feels they have not been "efficient" in recent games, and added: "For me, it's not about the position in the table, it's the points that matter. We have 22 points which isn't a bad amount but we want to have more. We have two more chances before we reach the halfway point of the season and we want to add more. I think 25 points would be a good amount for us."

• Iraola said they are in a "battle" with set-pieces right now and "it is costing us a lot", with the one against Burnley a "really hard one" to concede.

• He does not feel inconsistency is just down to them being a young squad but about "the changes overall", adding: "We are in a process that will take time. We have changed a lot. We have sold and bought a lot of players, they are all adapting at different rates so the process is still ongoing."

• On facing Brentford: "It's going to be one of the most difficult games for us because we've had very bad results against them. I think we've only had one point against them in the time I've been here and they have scored a lot of late goals against us. It is a match-up that has been really difficult for us."

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

After a concerning summer transfer window for the Cherries, with many of the club's top stars moving on, this January window feels like a big one for AFC Bournemouth.

Losing four of the regular backline from the last campaign has come home to roost of late. Plus, to add to current woes, influential central midfielder Tyler Adams has joined Ben Gannon-Doak and Veljko Milosavljevic on the long-term injury list, therefore new additions are essential if the club wants to avoid a relegation dogfight.

Bournemouth will also almost certainly be losing their star man Antoine Semenyo, with a host of clubs ready to activate his £65m release clause - which needs to be triggered by 10 January. So it goes without saying that the club needs to help their head coach by adding squad depth, experience and quality to the group. Replacing Semenyo feels a tall order, but the club most definitely have to try!

Elsewhere, the Cherries need some more competition in-between the sticks, with only one senior goalkeeper - Djordje Petrovic - in the squad. Whilst he has plied his trade in Scotland, the current back-up keeper Will Dennis is yet to make a Football League appearance, never mind a Premier League one.

Plus, having lost two elite stars in Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi in the summer, a centre-back is also paramount if the club wants to stop shipping goals. As previously mentioned, the only natural enforcer in the Cherries midfield - Adams - is out for a while, so adding in that area could also prove to be an important move.

It'll be an enormous January window for Bournemouth which might determine whether they want to look up the table again, or start to glance worryingly over their shoulder.

Find more from Tom Jordan at Back of the Net, external

Tottenham have ended their pursuit of Bournemouth and Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo. However, the 25-year-old is still of interest to Manchester City and Manchester United, while Liverpool are weighing up their options following Alexander Isak's injury. (Sky Sports), external

Semenyo, who has a release clause of £60.5m, may have made a decision on his future on Monday. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

John: Cherries of old. Chances not taken and a team prepared to defend. Reliance on key players who seem to be in safe mode. It needs new life or change. January awaits.

Ant: Absolute madness that we don't win this game. You know what you'll get with Burnley, but our lack of game management is quite frightening. Worrying times ahead with Antoine Semenyo heading out the door in January.

Greg: Burnley were dreadful, but you can't blame the poor result just because they parked the bus. For the majority of the game our play was just too slow and predictable. Set-plays seem to be an issue for us whilst defending and we lack that clinical edge to score goals against teams that set up to defend. Not a great game to watch.

Mick: We have lost our energy and urgency going forward. Thought Alex Scott should have started and let's give Eli Junior Kroupi a chance up front. What we are doing at the moment doesn't work. Once Semenyo goes, I'm not sure where the goals will come from. Our best player by a mile.

Burnley fans

Robert: Great to get a point and put a stop to the rot. Joe Worrall was immense for us at both ends. Many of the players seemed lacking in confidence and definitely time for Jaidon Anthony to spend some time on the bench. Marcus Edwards on the other hand is one of the few players to truly attack the opposition and has to get a starting run in the team.

Alan: Abject. Watching Burnley is like watching a first division team playing Premier opposition in the cup. They occasionally have a puncher's chance, but most times lose. Remove the management team, release players and prepare for the Championship, because there is no fight or spirit in the club.

Carl: I think Marcus Edwards brings something different to Burnley's attack, and if Armando Broja can score more goals this could be a new start for us.

Steven: Not very exciting but a good point. Anthony needs taking out of the team for a while! Do we dare to start believing this might be a turning point?