Since taking over AFC Bournemouth in December 2022, Bill Foley has spent over £350M on transfers across six transfer windows. That has meant a lot of new faces coming into the club, with varying degrees of success. It’s worth noting, of course, that up until the summer of 2024, these transfers were spearheaded by Richard Hughes, now at Liverpool, before his duty was taken over by Tiago Pinto.

Here is my grading (of course, my opinion is not definitive) of all 32 incoming transfers that have been made under the Foley regime:

JANUARY 2023

DANGO OUATTARA – A

If Dango Ouattara was still at the club, this transfer would have been graded lower. Ouattara cost £20M from Lorient, scoring nine goals and getting nine assists in 81 League appearances, which included a hattrick against Nottingham Forest, and last minute winners at Spurs and Ipswich. Ouattara was a very frustrating player at times and very inconsistent – but his grade is so high as despite those not hugely impressive numbers, he was sold to Brentford for £42.5M this summer. That is fantastic business.

DARREN RANDOLPH – D

You probably forgot Darren Randolph played for AFCB – I don’t blame you. He was signed on a free from West Ham in January 2023, didn’t play a game, but I’m sure was a good presence in the dressing room and he did bring some needed experience to a side fighting relegation.

ANTOINE SEMENYO – A*

An absolute gem of a signing. £10M from Bristol City, originally signed to be compete with Dom Solanke and Kieffer Moore for the striker position, but it never worked out for him in that position. Moved to the wing under Andoni Iraola, he has grown season on season, and will no doubt make AFCB a pretty penny in the future. 22 goals and eight assists in 84 league appearances, with much more to come – an incredibly exciting, strong, skilful and powerful player. What a find from the Championship.

MATIAS VINA – B

I do think Vina was slightly overrated by the fanbase after he left, but he did have some good moments, with that delightful dink at Spurs and a brilliant goal at home to Chelsea. His loan fee from Roma was roughly £750K, representing good value for money, making 12 appearances and scoring twice in that half a season. Not the best defender, and his move wasn’t made permanent, but a solid loanee.

HAMED TRAORE – E

It just never worked out for Hamed Traore at Bournemouth. Sensational debut at Brighton aside, he was never able to fully showcase his talent at the club, only scoring once in the league cup at Swansea. That was not all his fault, with some bad luck down to injuries and illness. But having joined for £26M, making just 11 league appearance (with one ‘assist’ for Semenyo’s solo stunner at Anfield), being loaned out to Napoli and Auxerre (where he impressed), and finally being sold for just €7M to Lyon (loan with obligation + 50% sell-on clause), it’s probably good for all parties that this is over.

ILLIA ZABARNYI – A*

Another gem. Signed for just £24M from Dynamo Kyiv, Zabarnyi was a true Rolls Royce of a centre back. Injuries plagued his first half season, but he flourished under Andoni Iraola. Maybe one of the best players to have put on the red & black shirt, he was always likely to be in demand, so it was no surprise that arguably the best club in the world wanted to snap him up. They eventually got their wish – PSG securing him for £57M, although he is worth much more. A pleasure to have seen him play for our club 78 times in the PL.

SUMMER 2023

JUSTIN KLUIVERT – A

I can’t say I’m as big a fan of Kluivert as some, finding him a frustrating player at times, but there is no doubt for just £9.5M he has represented fantastic value for money. Since arriving from Roma, 19 goals and 7 assists in 68 league appearances is a very good return, having transformed from a winger to a ’10’. Although he finds himself out of the team after injury, he is an extremely key player for Andoni Iraola, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.

ROMAIN FAIVRE – E

Probably just a signing to appease Lorient, our ‘sister club’, where he had excelled on loan before signing for AFCB for £12.8M from Lyon and being loaned back to Lorient. Faivre has made just 5 PL appearances, and spent last season on loan at Stade Brest. He has now refused a loan to Hellas Verona after seemingly agreeing a deal, and refused to speak to other clubs. Unlikely to play this season, Faivre seems happy to pick up a wage and not play.

MILOS KERKEZ – A+

Signed for £15.5M from AZ Alkmaar, Kerkez’s time with the club will certainly be looked back on as a major success. His first season wasn’t the best, finding himself in and out of the team, but his performances in his second campaign saw him win a place in the PFA team of the season. Kerkez made 66 league appearances, scoring twice and grabbing six assists, before being sold to Liverpool for £40M (again, he is worth more – but more than doubling your money after two seasons and signing a class replacement is never a bad thing).

ANDREI RADU – C

Signed as a backup keeper, he did his job, and made an important save on his PL debut against Burnley. He did, however, concede six at the Etihad the week after, and wasn’t seen again, as Mark Travers overtook his backup duty.

MAX AARONS – D

Aarons was a much needed addition just days before the PL season started against West Ham, as the club had no options at right back. He was brought in for £11M from Norwich, and it seemed like the perfect place for him to grow. He started well, but his AFCB career curtailed after his first ever injury (a hamstring problem), and he was never able to regain his place. He spent the second half of last season at Valencia and is now on loan at Rangers. He has made 23 PL appearances for the club, but is unlikely to make anymore.

TYLER ADAMS – A-

This grading is likely to go up, as Adams has become arguably the most important AFCB player. His performances have been outstanding and he is a very likeable bloke who seems to love the club. However, his injury problems can’t be ignored – he made just 3 league appearances in his first season and didn’t feature until October last campaign. But those problems seem to be behind him now, and it looks like (just over) £20M very well spent.

ALEX SCOTT – C

This grading could definitely go up in the future, or indeed down. Perhaps slightly lucky to get a C at present, but that’s on the basis he will realise his undoubted potential. Scott’s time at AFCB has been disappointing given the price tag – £25M from Bristol City. He’s had rotten luck with injuries, and shown his true potential in glimpses – but not nearly consistently enough. Scott has the talent for this grade to improve massively, but needs his breakout season ASAP. One goal and one assist in 46 PL appearances so far.

LUIS SINISTERRA – D+

This one is another incredibly frustrating one, and Sinisterra did produce some fantastic moments, most notably his last minute winner at Everton. But injuries plagued his time with the club, making 32 appearances across 2 seasons, scoring three and assisting three. Although there was more to his game than G/A, given the output and injuries, more would’ve been expected for the £20M fee and high wages ‘Sini’ was given. A shame, as he was great to watch, but he is likely to join Cruizero on a permanent deal for only £10M.

JANUARY 2024

ENES UNAL – C-

Unal was the only senior signing of the January 2024 window, joining on loan with a £13M obligation from Getafe. It’s easy to forget his performances were very impressive in his first half season at the club, but his second half season didn’t quite go so well, despite back-to-back goals against Ipswich and West Ham. Unfortunately, Unal is currently out with an ACL injury; it will be interesting to see if he remains in Iraola’s plans. Four goals and three assists in 33 PL appearances so far.

CALLAN MCKENNA – B

Hard to grade a player who hasn’t made a senior appearance for the club, but McKenna is currently 3rd choice keeper at the club and for just £300K, seems a good investment for the future.

SUMMER 2025

ALEX PAULSEN – C+

Again, hard to rate someone who has never actually played for the club, but Paulsen only cost £2M, and has won many accolades in his seasons in the A-League. It will be interesting to see how he gets on in a different country this season, having joined Lechia Gdansk in Poland. Could be a good option in the future.

DAN JEBBISON – B

Only £1M from Sheffield United, I don’t think many would have expected Jebbison to make 16 PL appearances last season (either side of a failed loan move at Watford), even scoring at the Etihad (and two in the cup). He was serviceable as well, racking up some important minutes from the bench. Hopefully, once recovered from injury, he succeeds on loan at Preston this season.

JULIAN ARAUJO – D

At £10M from Barcelona, this isn’t the worst bit of business on the list, but it isn’t loads better than that. Araujo seems a lovely bloke, but his performances on the pitch haven’t been good enough. He now has Alex Jiminez ahead of him in the pecking order, as well as Adam Smith, and is seemingly unlikely to feature much more. Just 12 league appearances, with many injury issues.

KEPA ARRIZABALAGA – B+

Kepa had some ropey moments at the club, which was to be expected given his reputation. But overall, he was maybe the best quality GK we have seen for AFCB in the Premier League. He brought into the club, showed his class (especially in the second half of the campaign) and many fans were gutted to see him move to Arsenal after his loan expired. A good loan signing.

DEAN HUIJSEN – A*

What can I say that hasn’t been said about Deano? Arriving for just £12M from Juventus, and not even a year later, snapped up by Real Madrid for £50M due to his release clause, having been wanted by practically all top clubs in world football. Seeing Huijsen succeed like he did will attract many future stars to come and play for the club, which is important in itself. He will go on to become one of the world’s best, and it is fantastic to have been a major part of his journey, and for him to have made us such a huge profit in a short space of time.

EVANILSON – A

Replacing Dom Solanke seemed a thankless task – but Evanilson has absolutely stepped up. 11 goals and one assist (not including all the penalties (and red cards) he has won) in 34 PL games, Evanilson has everything you want from an Andoni Iraola centre forward. His work off the ball is as important as his work on it – he is so much more than goals. Our record signing, but £40M well spent.

JANUARY 2025

MATAI AKINMBONI – B+

The third player I have to rate without playing… but Akinmboni is a very exciting talent, cost just £2M, and was in the squad on numerous occasions last season at just 18 years of age. Recovering from injury at the moment, hopefully Akinmboni gets a loan move in January.

JULIO SOLER – A

Soler has played just three times in the league, but with exciting appearances in cup competitions, seems a brilliant prospect, and the perfect Andoni Iraola full-back. High energy, full-blooded and non-stop. For just £6.5M (with add-ons rising to £11M), he is likely to be an absolute bargain, and has been named in his first senior Argentina squad already. He will have to bide his time for now, though, behind Adrien Truffert in the pecking order.

ELI JUNIOR KROUPI – A

Kroupi was extremely sought after, with Chelsea and West Ham rumoured to be heavily interested in his services. Out of nowhere on deadline day, a deal was struck with Lorient, signing for just £10M + add-ons, remaining with Lorient for the rest of the season. He scored 22 goals in 30 Ligue 2 games last season, and has made his Premier League debut this campaign. A super exciting talent at just 19 years old, he will deputise Evanilson in the coming months, and once he bulks up a bit, will be a force to be reckoned with.

SUMMER 2025

*Of course, these players have played at a maximum three PL games for the club, so it’s very difficult to grade them, but these ratings are just based off face value*

ADRIEN TRUFFERT – A+

A ready made (more mature) Milos Kerkez replacement for just £14M, this seems unbelievable business. Truffert has fit like a glove to the Iraola system and Premier League in general – there is a long way to go, but it is extremely positive early days for Adrien. Has been talked about by outsiders as one of the signings of the summer in the PL.

DJORDJE PETROVIC – B+

Petrovic is very different to AFCB keepers of the past – he is commanding of his area, and can catch the ball! His shot stopping ability thus far hasn’t needed to be questioned, and he has racked up back to back clean sheets in recent weeks. His distribution isn’t as strong as Kepa’s and that has been notable, plus his £25M price-tag wasn’t cheap, but if he continues to show the quality he has to begin the season, he will fit in very nicely here.

BAFODE DIAKITE – A-

Diakite wasn’t completely convincing against Liverpool, but who can blame him, just a few days after settling into a new country. He has looked better and better in the games against Wolves and Spurs, and signs of a very decent partnership between Diakite and Marcos Senesi have been shown. The £35M spent on him is the second highest ever by the club, and he has huge shoes to fill left by Zabarnyi and Huijsen, but early signs are very encouraging.

BEN GANNON-DOAK – C+

Hard one to judge, as he has only played 45 minutes in the cup against Brentford. The £25M fee on him seems very high, but he is a player of great potential, and looks a confident, fast, skilful player. Gannon-Doak has plenty of time on his side to prove he is worth the fee paid for him.

AMINE ADLI – B+

Adli excited every single AFCB fan who watched his debut cameo against Wolves. He looks the perfect Andoni Iraola winger – hard-working, rapid, and skilful. He cost £21M from Bayer Leverkusen, and seems the perfect Dango Ouattara replacement. The thought of him running at tired defences, and working hard to protect a lead (as seen at Spurs), is very exciting.

ALEX JIMENEZ – B

I can’t claim to know much about Jimenez, but he seems a good acquisition on a sensible deal, on loan with an obligation to buy for £16M if he starts 18 PL games. Jimenez made 23 appearances for Milan last season, good experience at just 20 years old. He is likely to get a chance after the international break, with Adam Smith set for a spell on the sidelines, and I look forward to seeing what he can do. Will Jimenez be the man to displace Smith after all these years?

VELJKO MILOSAVLJEVIC – A-

A centre back was a must going into deadline day, and this came out of absolutely nowhere, announced without any indication of a deal happening. Milosavljevic is just 18, a towering figure at (reportedly) 6’3, and cost a fixed £13M. His potential and talent is clear, and hopefully he reaches those heights with the club like many before him have.

Varying degrees of success, to be expected with such a high level of incomings. But there are definitely more positives than negatives, and no one can deny that Bill Foley has done all he can to help the club build on their successes on the pitch. Long may it continue – and don’t take it for granted that we have an owner happy to spend out of his own back pocket. Fans of other clubs are not so lucky.