How Bournemouth are on brink of Europe despite losing stars

Breaking news from the world of sport: How Bournemouth are on brink of Europe despite losing starsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Bournemouth are the first team to have two different teenagers - Junior Kroupi and Rayan - score in three games in a row during the same Premier League seasonByNizaar Kinsella Football reporterPublished26 minutes agoBournemouth were raided for their star players in the last two transfer windows but are now in pole position to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history. Despite losing players valued at £202m last summer - including three members of their starting back four - and seeing their best forward Antoine Semenyo depart in January, the Cherries are on course for their highest Premier League finish. On top of losing those key performers, the club, players and fans know manager Andoni Iraola will leave at the end of the season.

Yet against that backdrop, on they march towards a first season of European football, with a 1-0 win at Fulham their latest impressive result. A place in the Europa League or Conference League is an increasingly likely prospect, but the Champions League is also still possible - whether by finishing in the top five or if the team in sixth place qualifies should Aston Villa win the Europa League. "We are fighting to have this reward.

Match Details

You have to win a lot of points to get into Europe," Iraola told Match of the Day after the win at Craven Cottage. "We have such a good relationship with the players and the club. The process has been so clear and honest.

Everyone knows what will happen next season. "It follows a remarkable 16-game unbeaten run, which has only been bettered across Europe's top leagues by Bayern Munich (18) and AC Milan (24) this season. "Invention… does not consist in creating out of the void, but out of chaos," Frankenstein author Mary Shelley once wrote, and that sentiment has applied to the Cherries this season.

When Dean Huijsen joined Real Madrid, Milos Kerkez moved to Liverpool and Ilya Zabarnyi signed for Paris St‑Germain, it looked chaotic at Bournemouth. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga also rejected the option of making his loan move permanent, opting instead to join Arsenal as a back-up in a £5m transfer from Chelsea. In response, Bournemouth signed Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea for £25m.

Reactions and Expectations

They also reinforced their defence with the additions of Adrien Truffert, Julio Soler, Bafode Diakite and Veljko Milosavljevic. Meanwhile Rayan - who scored the winner at Craven Cottage - arrived as a replacement for Semenyo following his January move to Manchester City. Iraola announcing his departure could have derailed Bournemouth's European push, but the swift appointment of former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose as his summer replacement brought a sense of calm.

It is a far cry from 2009, when Bournemouth were near the bottom of League Two and received a points deduction after exiting administration without a Company Voluntary Arrangement.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.