Premier League 2022-23 preview No 3: Bournemouth | Soccer
Intended position of guardian writers 20th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our editors’ predictions)
Ranking last season 2nd (Championship)
Odds of winning the league (via Oddschecker) 1,500-1
Outlook
When the match computer spat out this season’s assignments, Bournemouth could be forgiven for feeling a little uneasy. Championship runners-up last season, he has little time to adapt, with trips to Manchester City and Liverpool in the first month, as well as a home fixture with Arsenal. They kick off at the Vitality Stadium against Aston Villa, a repeat of their Premier League opener seven years ago which ended in a narrow defeat.
This time around Bournemouth appear to be banking on players who were relegation regulars two years ago, Dominic Solanke, Lewis Cook and Philip Billing, to get noticed. How Solanke will fare is one of the biggest questions, given that last time he was in the top flight he scored three goals in a difficult 18 months after joining Liverpool for £17million. But the striker, now 24, has scored 44 goals in the last two seasons in the Second Division and will be keen to transfer that form to the top. They lack numbers at centre-back but captain Lloyd Kelly has the ability to shine.
It’s easy, especially these days, to get lost in summer transfer window hysteria, particularly given Nottingham Forest’s aggressive recruitment campaign, but Bournemouth did a bit of research in January, with Kieffer Moore, whose form for Truro City a decade earned him a move to nearby Dorchester, signing from Cardiff to bring another dimension to the attack. The arrival of England Under-21 defender James Hill, followed by Barcelona at Fleetwood Town, reflected Bournemouth’s desire to develop youngsters. Moore scored twice to help save a vital point at Swansea in late April, a week before their all-important winner against Forest to seal promotion, and the striker promises to be a handful for the defences.