(Credit: Getty, Sky Sports)

Harri Burton

Sat 30 May 2026 12:00, UK

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Bournemouth and Bill Foley have huge decisions to make after securing Europa League football for the 2026-27 campaign.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that there will be a lot more pressure and expectation at the Vitality Stadium next season.

The Cherries drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season to finish sixth in the Premier League table, qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.

Supporters will feel that everything is crumbling right now. Andoni Iraola is leaving. Marcos Senesi is set to join Tottenham on a free transfer, and multiple others could leave. There is excitement ahead, though.

Bournemouth could struggle in the Europa League next season

Very few will argue against the Cherries having a squad big enough for the Europa League, but there is always a risk when investing heavily into a squad, especially if they drop out of the competition early.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “It’s the Thursday night problem again. They’ve got an amazing first team squad. That’s for the Premier League. And I think they’ve been absolutely brilliant this season.

“I saw them against Manchester City, you know, when City, when the title ended, I saw them live then. They were fantastic that night. They should have won the game easily. And they’ve been great all season.

“But Thursday nights, loads of travel, loads more pressure, expectation. It’s gonna be really hard for them. And you need a squad to be able to cope with that and to cope with that sort of impact on the body.

“It’s very hard to know what they do because the revenue doesn’t come through unless you get to the final, and you win it. You get about £35million if you win it. So, they’ve got a big dilemma.

“Maybe they’ve got good young players, maybe they can bolster the squad in other ways. But we know they’re losing players. Marcos Senesi is going to Spurs, so that’s a big blow straight away. I would think they’ll have bids for some of the better players.

“Are they going to reject them? Probably try to, but who knows. So I think they’re going to be busy, but they’ve shown themselves to be really good in the transfer market.

“It’s going to be very challenging for them. But this is what I assume they wanted, and this is what the plan was. So, let’s see how they deal with it.”

Which other big names could the Cherries lose?

Senesi is unlikely to be the only high-profile player leaving the Vitality Stadium, but the supporters are no strangers to losing their best stars to Premier League giants.

While Dean Huijsen jetted out to Real Madrid and Illia Zabarnyi signed for PSG, Antoine Semenyo joined Manchester City, and Milos Kerkez signed for Liverpool. Yet, they came back better and stronger than ever.

Alex Scott is the latest to attract attention, with Man United and Newcastle United both linked with the midfielder, and he might be eyeing an exit after missing out on England’s World Cup squad.

Eli Junior Kroupi is also one of the most sought-after attackers in the Premier League after netting 13 goals in his debut season, and it’s unlikely that the 19-year-old sticks around for very long.