Bournemouth Injury Woes: Tavernier, Kelly and More

While talking to the Daily Echo, Bournemouth’s new head coach revealed new information on the Cherries’ current injury list. As of now there are four notable names unavailable.

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Andoni Iraola Provides Injury Updates

🔍 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦 – Marcus Tavernier

A very decent season from Tav. He’s had his best campaign in terms of G+A, but you’d still want to see more from him there.

Very well rounded midfielder. 👏🔑@TomGreen52’s POTS pick | #Boro pic.twitter.com/Cz6XcyY0Ae

— The Boro Breakdown Podcast (@Boro_Breakdown) May 17, 2022

Marcus Tavernier

Iraola’s Words

Tavernier had picked up a knock during Bournemouth’s pre-season training camp in Marbella, Spain. Andoni Iraola was quoted on July 25, 2023: “I think Marcus especially, will be out for the start of the season for the first games”.

However, it appears the situation has worsened. On July 28, 2023, the Spanish manager revealed: “I don’t know if he will be able to play before the international break”.

Why This Absence Will Be Such a Big Loss

This will be a huge miss for the Cherries as the winger will miss their first four games, including tough fixtures against Liverpool (away) and Tottenham Hotspur (at home). Tavernier was a mainstay in the team last season, starting all but four games for which he was available.

The former Middlesbrough forward managed five goals and four assists in only 19 starts, all of which were crucial to their Premier League survival. Interestingly, eight of those goal involvements came in six consecutive games. Gary O’Neil’s side picked up a crucial ten points in that time: missing his output could prove detrimental to the start of their campaign.

This injury will worry Bournemouth even more considering his previous injury record: last season he missed 17 games. These games were missed during three seperate periods, but significantly all were due to his hamstring. Tavernier’s current injury is his knee, but he has also suffered a similar knee injury during his time in the Championship. These recurring injuries will concern Iraola and his team, as they cannot afford to lose him for any longer than they already are.

Lloyd Kelly

Iraola’s Words

The former skipper also picked up his injury in Marbella. Iraola confirmed: “he had calf muscle injury”. Like Tavernier, Kelly has been absent from the squad for all four pre-season friendlies. A return for the start of the new term looks unlikely as the manager announced: “he should be close for the beginning of the season…I don’t know if he will arrive or not”.

Will This Be a Big Loss?

The Englishman made 23 starts for the Cherries last season, and was a staple in both of Bournemouth’s Championship campaigns. Kelly even captained the side during their promotion push, missing just one game. His versatility (and his dominant left foot) means that he can play at both centre-back and left-back. This evidence would suggest that his absence may hinder the start of their second consecutive season in the top flight.

However, highly rated Milos Kerkez had an impressive debut (against Southampton in a pre-season friendly) and so Kelly’s presence shouldn’t be required as a starting left-back. Furthermore, centre-back duo Marcos Senesi and Illia Zabarnyi look strong, with Chris Mepham offering a solid backup. With no fixture congestion at the beginning of the season, Kelly’s absence shouldn’t be missed too heavily.

Rothwell and Semenyo

Iraola also confirmed: “Antoine Semenyo started training yesterday for first day with the group” and “Joe Rothwell, that is kind of similar to Semenyo, but he’s, I will say 10, 15 days before”. In fact, Rothwell has made cameos in two of Bournemouth’s pre-season friendlies (against Southampton and Atalanta). This bodes well for the team as extra depth will be appreciated, especially in the midfield as Jefferson Lerma has not yet been replaced.

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