There is a long way to go in this summer transfer window but already we are getting a decent idea of who the winners and losers will be in terms of their wheeling and dealing. Liverpool seem to have had an exceptional window, and one that could yet get a lot better if they manage to prise Aleander Isak away from Newcastle.
Talking of the Magpies, even if they manage to hold onto their Swedish star, fans are almost guaranteed to feel they have had a bad window. They have seen various targets move elsewhere and failed to add the class they need. The ongoing Isak saga has also disrupted pre-season and even if the attacker stays, things are not looking great for Eddie Howe’s men.
There will be a lot more players bought and sold before the window closes at the start of September. However, even then, we will not really know which clubs have done well. Until we start to see how new signings settle in and how they play, it is far too early to really judge which clubs have done best in the transfer window.
That said, it is safe to say that Bournemouth are going to need to pull a few rabbits out of hats – hats they have probably already sold – if their summer activity is to be deemed anything less than deeply concerning. The Cherries have spent eight of the last 10 seasons in the top flight and have massively overperformed even by being in the Premier League. However, they may well be up against it in 2025/26.
£160m of Talent Departs
Bournemouth were superb last season and secured their highest-ever league finish. Under the astute management of Basque Andoni Iraola, they ended up in ninth place in the Premier League. That was the first time they had finished in the top half of the top tier, and they did it playing exciting football.
They were defensively very strong too, conceding fewer goals than Newcastle, Aston Villa and Brighton, and as many as Nottingham Forest. That quartet finished fifth, sixth, eighth and seventh, so Iraola’s men had one of the best defensive units outside the top four clubs.
However, they have now sold star central defender Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid, his Ukrainian colleague Ilya Zabarnyi to PSG, and Milos Kerkez to Liverpool. What’s more, they have also lost first-choice keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was on loan from Chelsea, as well as back-up stopper Mark Travers, who moved to Everton.
It is not uncommon for clubs outside the Premier League’s financial elite to lose one or even two stars to richer clubs. However, Cherries supporters are sure to be gutted to have lost three players, none of whom are older than 22, who all have the potential to be genuine world-class performers. That they have lost not one, but two goalkeepers is the opposite of the cherry on top!
Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid, £50m
The first of the big departures to be announced was Huijsen, back at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. Real Madrid activated his release clause in time for him to join them at the Club World Cup in the summer. The tall, Spanish centre back, just 20 years old, has already been capped four times by Spain and his ease on the ball, reading of the game and attacking threat mean he could develop into a real superstar.
We can confirm that Dean Huijsen will join @RealMadrid at the end of the season, after the club activated his release clause.
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) May 17, 2025
Bournemouth paid an initial fee of around £13m to purchase him from Juventus. However, Juve will receive 10% of the fee for his sale to Real, while Malaga, who helped develop him, will also get 5%. Rather galling for the Cherries!
Milos Kerkez, Liverpool, £40m
Versatile left-sided player Kerkez was the next to leave the south coast, moving to Liverpool for £40m. He will provide competition to Andy Robertson but can also operate as a wing-back or even higher up the pitch.
We have completed the signing of Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth 🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 26, 2025
Kerkez is incredibly quick, and Bournemouth signed the Serbian-born defender for an undisclosed fee of around £17m from Dutch side AZ. He is not 22 until November, and yet has already played 23 times for Hungary.
Illia Zabarnyi, PSG, £57m
Zabarnyi joined Bournemouth in January 2023 from his hometown club Dynamo Kyiv. The elder statesman of the trio, at almost 23, he boasts 49 caps and three goals for Ukraine. He played almost every game in the PL for the Cherries over the last two seasons and will really be missed.
Paris Saint-Germain are delighted to welcome Illia Zabarnyi to the Club.
The 22-year-old central defender, who will wear the number six shirt, is the Club’s first-ever Ukrainian player.
🔗 https://t.co/mRwNZS3uXI pic.twitter.com/NojPN9mhgO
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 12, 2025
PSG have paid an initial fee thought to be around £55m to make Zabarnyi their first Ukrainian player ever. Add-ons make up the rest of the sum, a very tidy profit on the estimated £24m we believe the south coast side paid for him.
But Iraola’s Men Will be Fine
While losing three incredible young defenders and two very solid not-so-young goalkeepers is clearly a massive blow, Bournemouth will be fine. They have made a huge profit on the three outgoing defenders, and that will keep them on the right side of Profit and Sustainability regulations for a long time to come.
They will, of course, invest some of that money on replacements, and if their scouting and transfer team can uncover anyone of the calibre of the three that left, they will be delighted. Indeed, they have already completed, or almost finalised, deals for some excellent-looking defenders, plus a fine stopper in former Chelsea man Djordje Petrovic. Moreover, in Iraola, they have a brilliant young manager who will not complain and who will work with whatever players he has, and no doubt to great effect.
Considering their history, meagre finances (relatively speaking), and tiny stadium – the Vitality holds just 11,300 fans – they have been punching so far above their weight it really is quite something. That they have managed that for over a decade now, with just two seasons outside the Premier League, shows they understand what it takes to compete at this level.
They may well struggle to finish in the top half again, not least because surely Man United and Spurs won’t be quite so bad again, but we don’t see them being anywhere near the relegation scrap. In fact, it will be really interesting to see what new players they unearth and develop, and just how far Iraola can take them once again.