'A truly remarkable achievement'
- Published
Now the curtain has come down on the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, here is my end-of-season review - with a look back to what I predicted in August.
Prediction: 15th
A truly remarkable achievement by Andoni Iraola and Bournemouth as they reached Europe for the first time in their 127-year history.
It is even more striking as they lost three first-choice defenders last summer, while main forward Antoine Semenyo joined Manchester City in January.
No matter, as this thrilling team never missed a beat, going 18 league games unbeaten, with Alex Scott and exciting teenager Junior Kroupi outstanding. They were even in Champions League contention until the final day of the season.
One question: why would Iraola leave this behind?
What I said in August: "It would be another sign of Iraola's quality if he can once more direct them into the Premier League's top half."
