That’s according to El Correo, who cover the Spanish coach today and the growing pressure on him after a poor start to the season.

Bournemouth are currently 19^th in the table after failing to win any of their first nine games of the season, losing six and drawing three to date.

They’re yet to show any serious signs of life under the Spanish coach, who arrived in the summer to replace Gary O’Neil and was supposed to bring an exiting brand of attacking football to push the Cherries up the table.

Instead, Iraola is yet to really get his style of football to work, and Bournemouth have looked like easy pickings for several teams, hence their position in the table.

The pressure is growing on Iraola as a result and El Correo admit that after the loss to Wolves at the weekend, he has ‘one foot in the abyss’.

This weekend’s clash with Burnley is likely to be his last chance to impress, although the newspaper does argue that Bournemouth’s board have shown incredible faith in their coach to date.

Their €127m spend in the summer and the fact they haven’t fired him yet demonstrates their faith and the suggestion is they should stick with that for now.

That’s because Iraola already showed at Rayo that his ‘ideas need time to settle’ and he was actually close to the sack at the Spanish club in his first season there before eventually turning things around and securing promotion before establishing them in La Liga.

Of course, doing so in the Premier League is a different matter entirely and the urgency is growing each week, with the clash against Burnley this weekend undoubtedly a ‘true final’.

On the other hand, Mundo Deportivo cover Iraola’s old club today and how they’ve moved on quickly under new manager Francisco Rodríguez.

They explain that Iraola’s departure ‘was a setback’ after three ‘unforgettable seasons’ – further proof Bournemouth should perhaps stick rather than twist – but Rodríguez has quickly helped them forget.

He’s currently led Rayo to 16 points in the first ten rounds of games, matching Iraola’s best tally after that many games from the 2021/22 season.

The post From Spain: Explanation and insistence why Bournemouth can’t give up on Iraola now appeared first on Sport Witness.

Since Andoni Iraola had worked with the winger at the La Liga side, it was said the manager would like to bring him to the Premier League.

It turns out that Bournemouth’s interest in Garcia is now confirmed by the player himself, in an interview with Radio Marca.

The midfielder was asked whether the Cherries actually moved for his signing, and had no problems sharing some details of this attempt.

“Yeah… maybe [laughs]. I was talking to him a little bit. He was interested as well. At the club they asked for the clause. In the end you understand all sides. You understand the club because it’s their player and they have a clause to fulfil and also it’s nice that your manager is going to the Premier League and they want you,” Garcia told Marca.

The player also made some more comments on his great relationship with Iraola and the big impact the manager had on his career.

“The truth is that that year had a big impact on me. Especially the arrival of Andoni. Iraola changed my life at Rayo. The day of Girona I calmed down, I cried a lot after the game. In the interview I had recently, the pandemic also made me free myself and my mind. I forgot a bit about football and it helped me.”

With Garcia being so clear about Iraola’s interest in him, it’d probably be no surprise to see Bournemouth try for signing again in the upcoming windows.

The problem is that reports from Spain at the time said his release clause is €25m, and that sounds a lot for a 30-year-old who’s valued by Transfermarkt at €6m.

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The Spanish coach has been speaking to La Media Inglesa regarding his time at the club so far after arriving in the summer as a replacement for Gary O’Neil.

He moved to England after building an impressive reputation for himself in Spain, where his work with Rayo Vallecano had impressed many.

The hope was that he could introduce the attacking, exciting brand of football he had developed in Spain into Bournemouth and ensure this season was not another one spent battling relegation.

That’s yet to work out, though, with Bournemouth yet to win a game in the Premier League and their last game before the international break seeing them suffer a 3-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Everton.

Indeed, their only wins this season have come against Swansea and Stoke in the Carabao Cup, something which has naturally led to questions being asked and the pressure being raised on Iraola.

He’s not feeling it yet, though, insisting that behind the scenes all is well, particularly with the new Bournemouth owners.

“I can’t complain. Look, we have literally won two Carabao Cup games against Swansea and Stoke, and people are asking why we haven’t beaten anyone else,” he said.

“But if this doesn’t go well it won’t be because of the level of the club or because that hasn’t been done well. I will not have done it well. The players are the ones who have to make good decisions.

“I am delighted with the reception of the fans. I am convinced that they want us to do well. Up to now they’ve been super respectful of me and the team. Obviously, they want us to win and achieve our objectives.

“We are working well with Richard, the sports director, with whom I have the most contact on a day-to-day basis and Bill, who lives in the United States. It’s more sporadic contacts in that sense. Working here is a delight.”

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That’s according to his agent, Crescenzo Cecere, who has insisted the goalkeeper is happy where he is and would be more than happy to extend his stay.

Radu joined Bournemouth on loan from Inter Milan at the end of July as part of their small rebuild following the arrival of Andoni Iraola as manager.

He’s yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season, though, instead being used in the EFL Cup for the wins over Swansea City and Stoke City.

Despite only making those appearances in the cup, with Neto seemingly the preferred number one, there has been insistence Radu is happy with the situation and not regretting his move.

That was something his agent insisted in comments at the end of September, and he’s now reiterated it, insisting his client can even imagine an extended stay with the Cherries, or another club in England, should that be on offer in future.

“At the moment he is on loan with an option,” he said.

“The Premier League is a bit of a dream for all footballers who play in Europe and therefore also of Ionut.

“He is happy and content today, he is playing his championship. We hope that he can stay in England for a long time.”

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The midfielder was a product of Malmö FF’s youth system and spent over a year with their senior team where he managed three goals and four assists from 61 games. His displays had caught the Cherries’ attention and they showed interest in signing him in January.

The 19-year-old has stated his former agent Magnus Agnar tried to force him to accept a move to Bournemouth, and Aftonbladet have relayed his quotes.

On Monday, Fotbollskanalen explained that the Swedish football association [SvFF] had suspended the representative for 18 months.

Aftonbladet state Larsson reported his former agent to the SVFF’s disciplinary committee for ‘several violations’, and when discussing this, he opened up on how Agnar was keen on taking him to the Premier League side.

“It’s no secret that I almost left Malmö for England in January. It wasn’t something I wanted while I felt that my agents pushed me very hard to accept it, and that was where it started and I felt that I didn’t want to work with them anymore,” he said.

“Then I was clear that I wanted to fix it in a nice way. It didn’t have to be as big as it was. It didn’t turn out that way and I had to resort to it together with my lawyers. It’s nice that it’s just solved.”

The Sweden international has explained that his former representatives had used different methods to put pressure on him to accept a move to Bournemouth.

“They were quite clear that they wanted me to go there. There were calls and text messages all the time, I guess that’s how the world works. But I was pretty clear from the start that I didn’t want to jump on it. That’s where we started to drift apart,” Larsson explained.

In the last window, Larsson joined Eintracht Frankfurt and Malmö reportedly received a club-record fee. He has managed a goal and an assist from nine games this season for the Bundesliga side.

The post “They were quite clear” – Player on agents trying to force him to join Bournemouth, resulted in split appeared first on Sport Witness.

The La Liga side are yet to register a league win this season and are currently bottom of the table after eight games. The poor run resulted in Vicente Moreno’s sacking and they are yet to appoint his successor.

Claims elsewhere have stated Guadalajara manager Veljko Paunović is in contention for the vacant job at the Spanish club. AS have relayed this and then state the Bournemouth coach is also a target for them.

In the summer, the Cherries appointed the Spaniard after parting ways with Gary O’Neil, who helped them finish 15th in the table last season.

This season, the Premier League side are waiting for their first league win after seven games and are currently in the relegation zone with three points.

Bournemouth face Everton on Saturday and AS state Iraola’s dismissal is ‘not ruled out’ if his side were to suffer a defeat at Goodison Park. If the manager were to leave, Almería would try to bring him back to La Liga.

It’s said Iraola is the ‘most liked’ target for Almería and the two parties already held talks in the summer.

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That’s according to El Correo, who cover the Spanish boss today and how he could be facing the sack from Bournemouth soon if he doesn’t turn things around.

They explain that Iraola was brought into the club in the summer to replace Gary O’Neill and ‘play more attractive football’ moving forwards.

This was something the Spanish coach had made a name for himself in Spain with, his Rayo Vallecano team an exciting watch in La Liga ‘with a daring style’ that kept them away from relegation for three years.

That lured in Bournemouth but ‘nothing has gone as expected’ and the high-pressure system he used in La Liga, one of the hallmarks of his game, is not working properly.

El Correo say Bournemouth are often split easily and ‘suffer in transitions’ while the offensive strategy simply isn’t working, the five goals in seven games a testament to that.

In short, Iraola is facing serious difficulties in getting his style to work in the Premier League and he is now beginning to be questioned as a result.

The next few games, which see them take on Everton, Wolves and Burnley could be key and if he fails in them, his English adventure could end quickly.

The post Iraola facing ‘serious difficulties’ at Bournemouth – Cherries issues explained, ‘nothing has gone as expected’ appeared first on Sport Witness.

That was just the second appearance the 26-year-old made for the Cherries, as he had previously performed against Swansea City, also in the EFL Cup.

Sport Italia today features an interview with Radu’s agent Crescenzo Cecere, and had a few questions about the goalkeeper’s first weeks at Bournemouth. They started by asking the representative how things have been going for his client in England.

“Very good, Andrei is very happy. He is working hard and has already played two matches with as many team victories.”

The outlet then wanted to know if Cecere expected Radu to be Bournemouth’s second goalkeeper this season.

“Yes, but Neto is a great goalkeeper who can give Radu a lot and from whom Radu can learn a lot.”

The agent was even quizzed about what he likes most at Bournemouth.

“Well, the Premier League is one of the most important and popular leagues. Plus the city of Bourmenonth is very beautiful and offers a great lifestyle for a footballer.”

Bournemouth signed Radu on a loan deal from Inter Milan, with an option to buy him in the next summer. According to reports from the Italian media, €8m will be needed to make the transfer permanent.

In his two appearances for the Cherries so far, the goalkeeper conceded two goals and kept one clean sheet.

The post Agent insists Bournemouth signing is ‘very happy’ – No concerns over role yet appeared first on Sport Witness.

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old had expressed his desire to make a switch to the Premier League, and was presented an opportunity when the Cherries opened the door for him.

Back in July, we relayed news from Turkey that Bournemouth made an official offer of €12m for the right-back.

Fast forward to September and Sabah now state the Turkish champions are delighted with their decision to reject the English club’s bid.

It’s explained that Bournemouth’s proposal didn’t meet the expectations of the Istanbul club, which is why the ‘sale was not allowed’.

The newspaper states Galatasaray are delighted because the defender has now ‘justified’ their decision with impressive displays this season, and it has also helped him ‘increase his price’ to €20m.

The Frenchman scored in his side’s 2-2 draw against FC Copenhagen and can showcase his qualities when Galatasaray face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League next week.

If Bournemouth are still keen to sign Boey, Sabah claim the ‘new price’ is set at €20m.

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That’s according to Fichajes, who have their own take on the Spaniard’s situation today after concerns regarding his situation in Spain yesterday.

We covered various reports from the country on Iraola’s initial struggles at Bournemouth, who he took over in the summer after the departure of Gary O’Neil.

Fichajes follow that up and state that Iraola is ‘beginning to hear rumours of dismissal’ due to Bournemouth’s poor results so far.

That’s been a disappointing return after a summer of investment from the club, with the lack of points or good performances having ‘raised concerns’ among the club’s management and their fans.

Iraola is already facing a ‘difficult test’ to turn things around, with his continuity at the club now depending ‘largely on his ability to change the dynamics of the team’ and ‘obtain positive results’ in the short-term.

That’s a big ask but Fichajes say the Spanish coach has ‘enough peace of mind’ to face these issues head on as he is ‘clinging’ to the fact he signed a deal until 2025 when he joined in the summer.

Their belief is that the coach believes that two-year deal offers him something of a buffer from the criticism and a quick sacking, giving him the time to turn things around and get back on track.

That, though, is something he needs to do quickly if he wishes to avoid becoming the first dismissal of this Premier League campaign.

The post Insistence Iraola has ‘peace of mind’ at Bournemouth – ‘Clinging’ to one fact amid pressure appeared first on Sport Witness.