‘He hasn’t trained’ – Bournemouth boss makes injury admission ahead of Brighton
Bournemouth club-record signing Evanilson has fully recovered from a broken metatarsal and could potentially start Tuesday evening’s Premier League game at Brighton.
However, Cherries boss Andoni Iraola is unsure how many minutes the striker will be able to manage at the Amex Stadium due to a lack of training.
Bournemouth aware of difficulty keeping player beyond this season – Cherries not giving up yet
AFC Bournemouth have enjoyed an impressive season so far under Andoni Iraola’s orders.
The Premier League club are currently sixth in the table, a point behind Manchester City and Newcastle United, who are in fourth and fifth spot respectively.
Bournemouth are in contention to qualify for Europe but Estadio Deportivo state they may be without Kepa Arrizabalaga beyond this season.
The Cherries took the goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea last summer and he has starred for them this season. The Spaniard has kept six clean sheets and conceded 24 goals from 21 games so far.
Iraola’s side don’t have a purchase clause to extend his stay, while earlier claims from the Spanish press have talked about their desire to buy him.
At this point in time, ‘all avenues are open’ for the Spain international.
Estadio explain Bournemouth have ‘decided to fight’ for the 30-year-old but are aware of the ‘difficulty’ to retain him. That’s because ‘there is a lot of competition’ and the report adds Kepa staying at Stamford Bridge next season isn’t ruled out.
Kepa’s contract with the Blues lasts until 2026 and they have to make a decision on his future in the summer.
Bournemouth haven’t given up but assume it’s going to be ‘complex’ to have the stopper at the club next season.
Wolves impacted by outcome of Illia Zabarnyi’s red card appeal after Rayan Ait-Nouri challenge
Wolves were involved in more VAR drama in the Premier League as Bournemouth were reduced to ten men at the Vitality.
There’s no doubt that Wolves earned their 1-0 victory over Bournemouth however, some believe the Old Gold might have been fortunate along the way.
In the first half, Illia Zabarnyi was sent off for a nasty challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri, with the on-field decision of a yellow card being upgraded to a red following VAR intervention.
Many believe Zabarnyi was wrongly sent off against Wolves, with even Matheus Cunha regarding the red card as ‘unlucky’.
Bournemouth learn appeal outcome after Illia Zabarnyi red card
While it was clear that Zabarnyi’s challenge on Ait-Nouri was dangerous, Bournemouth believed there were grounds to appeal the red.
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett thought a yellow was the right outcome but, the refereeing board have a different view.
After appealing the red card, Bournemouth learned that they were unsuccessful in their bid to overturn the player’s three-match ban for serious foul play.
That means that the Ukrainian, who has started each of the Cherries’ Premier League games this season, will be sidelined with a three-game suspension.
