Keith Wyness drops shocked verdict on Bournemouth sacking Andoni Iraola
Bournemouth will not be contemplating the immediate future of manager Andoni Iraola despite their poor form.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who thinks Bournemouth have “overperformed” this season.
Bournemouth’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal extended the Cherries winless streak to 11 Premier League games, and leaves them 15th in the table.
Iraola will now lose star player Antoine Semenyo, who looks set to join Man City, after seeing many key players leave in the summer transfer window.
Andoni Iraola ‘the right manager’ for Bournemouth
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – thinks Bournemouth can still turn their season around.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness believes this tough spell could be good in the long-term for Iraola.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Well, I’ll ask you to look at the league table. Look, it’s not the best, but still, that whole table is so compressed right now.
“I think just a couple of wins, and they could be back up there. Bournemouth, yes, they’ve had a couple of patchy spells, but I don’t think in any way he’s under pressure. I think he’s the right manager for the right club. I think the right owner is there just now. They’re giving him some freedom. They’ll stick by him.
“I think they’ve overperformed so far this season, actually overall, where they are compared to what I thought could happen, having lost so many players at the start of the season. So look, no, I think they’re okay. And I think Iraola’s certainly one for the future.
“This is the sort of spell that will toughen him as a manager, where he’s going to learn his trade even more. And it’s all right when things are winning, and you’re an attractive team. Now are the times when you really learn as a manager how you’ve got to manage the squad to get some results and grind out some results and turn that form around.
“But look, I think he’s not going to be under pressure. I don’t think the fans are anywhere near that situation.”
Bournemouth ready for key player departure
Iraola may have to contend with another departure from the Vitality Stadium, with Marcos Senesi’s contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Senesi could leave Bournemouth in January after rejecting the club’s offer of a new contract, and the 28-year-old is keen to explore other options.
The Argentine has started all but one of Bournemouth’s Premier League matches this season, missing the game against Everton due to suspension.