Milos Kerkez vs Adrien Truffert: How Bournemouth pulled off transfer masterstroke with Liverpool
Bournemouth have once again showcased their transfer nous after replacing Milos Kerkez with Adrien Truffert.
Suggestions that Adrien Truffert is an upgrade on Milos Kerkez have been validated over the last several weeks as the new Bournemouth left-back has drastically outperformed Kerkez this season.
Despite a quiet game between Bournemouth and Fulham, 23-year-old Truffert was impressive again, with Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola doing a wonderful job of getting the French fullback up to speed so quickly.
Iraola has wowed Jamie Redknapp, with the pundit labelling the Bournemouth head coach as one of the best managers in the world.
Bournemouth pulled off masterstroke signing Adrien Truffert for £14m
Liverpool were linked with a move to sign Kerkez for most of the second part of the 2024-25 season and eventually got their man in late June. They signed the Hungarian, who was named in the Premier League Team of the Season, for £40m.
It’s a great signing, but he hasn’t had a glittering start to life on Merseyside. In all fairness, only Hugo Ekitike has covered himself in glory, but Kerkez has been particularly subdued. Despite Andy Robertson’s best attempt to motivate Kerkez, the 21-year-old just hasn’t hit the ground running.
Bournemouth’s recruitment in the last few years has been among the best, and this is highlighted by how well they replaced Kerkez.
In a deal worth around £14m with Rennes, the South Coast outfit signed Truffert, who has already been one of the standout performers in the Premier League this season. This means Bournemouth have made a £26million profit, and the stats show they might even have the better left-back.
Truffert is enjoying a better season than Kerkez
Since the start of the 2025-26 season, Truffert has outperformed Kerkez in almost every major metric, underlining how slow a start the Hungarian has made at Liverpool.
For Bournemouth, it represents a major success for their recruitment staff. Having lost sporting director Richard Hughes to Liverpool in 2023, it’s even more impressive.
| Statistic | Milos Kerkez | Adrien Truffert |
| Minutes Played | 458 | 630 |
| Chances Created | 3 | 6 |
| Touches | 348 | 467 |
| Pass Accuracy | 86.9% | 87.2% |
| Tackles | 9 | 14 |
| Take-on Success % | 66% | 50% |
| Aerial Duel Success % | 56.5% | 35.2% |
| Ground Duels won | 15 | 26 |
| Ball Recoveries | 19 | 34 |
| Possession Lost | 56 | 87 |
Liverpool will hope Kerkez increases his performance levels soon but it seems that Truffert, if he maintains his performance levels, will be up there with the best.