- Antoine Semenyo had scored around 29 per cent of Bournemouth's Premier League goals before leaving in January
- Andoni Iraola switched Junior Kroupi's role after the Ghana international's departure
- Rayan arrived from Vasco da Gama and shared the big boots that Semenyo left at the Vitality Stadium
Bournemouth probably regretted adding a release clause in Antoine Semenyo's contract when interest in the winger started popping up as early as November last year.
The Ghana international had a £65m January release clause, which Man City eventually dealt with to bring him to the Etihad.
However, for the Cherries, this was no good news despite the profit they made on the winger. They had bought the 26-year-old from Bristol City for a total deal worth £10.5m more than three years ago.
Likewise, even if Iraola was leaving at the end of the season, the Basque-born manager wanted to leave his mark in Dorset.
Semenyo's Departure Left Bournemouth With A Huge Problem
The transfer left Bournemouth badly exposed as they had just lost one of their main sources of output in the final third.
Semenyo had scored 10 of the Cherries' 34 Premier League goals last season, a performance which eventually pushed him to join a Big Six club.
| Stats | Semenyo at Bournemouth, PL 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 20 |
| Starts | 20 |
| Minutes | 1,798 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Goal contributions | 13 |
| Goals per 90 | 0.50 |
| G/A per 90 | 0.65 |
| Share of Bournemouth PL goals at exit | 29% |
The London-born winger had also assisted three goals with a total goal involvement of 13 for Bournemouth last season.
Nevertheless, this was Iraola's third campaign with the Dorset-based outfit, and they had finished ninth last time out and 12th the season before.
Hence, losing Semenyo right when they were 15th in the English top flight wasn't a great sign for the remainder of the season.
Kroupi’s role changed after Semenyo left
Before Semenyo left, Eli Junior Kroupi was still being eased into Premier League football. The Frenchman had appeared 16 times for the Cherries.
However, nine of those games were played off the bench, but he still managed to score seven goals in the English top flight.
The 19-year-old managed 1.10 goals per 90 and mainly played as the No.9. Nevertheless, his role changed after Semenyo left for Man City.
| Stat | Before Semenyo left | After Semenyo left |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 16 | 17 |
| Starts | 7 | 14 |
| Minutes | 574 | 1,098 |
| Goals | 7 | 6 |
| Penalty Goals | 0 | 2 |
| Non-penalty Goals | 7 | 4 |
| npxG per 90 | 0.54 | 0.27 |
| xA per 90 | 0.03 | 0.11 |
| Shots on target per 90 | 1.72 | 0.90 |
| Touches in box per 90 | 5.47 | 3.93 |
| Key passes per 90 | 0.78 | 1.39 |
| Goals per 90 | 1.10 | 0.49 |
Kroupi started 14 times and appeared in 17 games for Bournemouth. However, playing from the No.10 position, his npxG per 90 dropped from 0.54 to 0.27 per 90.
While he didn't assist a single goal despite moving into a playmaking role, the Frenchman did become pretty important when it came to making key passes.
He went from making 0.78 key passes per 90 to 1.39 per 90. Likewise, his involvement in the penalty area dropped with lower touches in the box.
Why Rayan Became Bournemouth's New Wide Threat
While Kroupi's scoring output remained decent from a No.10 role, it was not enough for Bournemouth to qualify for Europe.
On the right, David Brooks had only scored one goal in 19 appearances up until the game against Tottenham, which was Semenyo's last in red and black.
| Stat | Rayan after Semenyo left | David Brooks before Semenyo left |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | 15 | 19 |
| Starts | 13 | 11 |
| Sub apps | 2 | 8 |
| Minutes | 1,111 | 942 |
| Goals | 5 | 1 |
| Assists | 2 | 2 |
| Goal contributions | 7 | 3 |
| G/A per 90 | 0.57 | 0.29 |
However, during the revamp, the Welsh international was replaced by Rayan, a new January signing for Bournemouth.
The Brazilian didn't disappoint, scoring five goals from the right flank in 13 starts and two substitute appearances for the Cherries.
He also made two assists in the process, making seven goal contributions in the English top-flight last season.
How Andoni Iraola Shared Semenyo's Output Across The Team
While Rayan and Kroupi didn't carry the whole team, they were still the youngest players who stepped up when the opportunity arose.
Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson were equally important in the final third as the Cherries went on to not lose a single Premier League game following Semenyo's exit.
Likewise, Iraola trusted the young players to take responsibility instead of passing the output of their star players onto the next guy.
This balanced fix helped them compete for a spot in Europe and eventually finish sixth in the English Premier League.
While we might not get the same synergy next season following Iraola's departure, it will be interesting to see how Marco Rose uses the duo, especially in their European run.
