After a two-year stay in the Championship, Bournemouth return to the Premier League after Scott Parker guided them to a second-placed finish in his first season in charge of the club.
Many eyebrows were raised after the former England midfielder departed the Fulham dugout to join the Cherries last summer, with things working out well for both clubs in the end as they ended the campaign in the two automatic promotion spots.
However, only Marcus Tavernier, Joe Rothwell and Ryan Fredericks have been added to Bournemouth's ranks during the transfer window so far, suggesting that the South-coast club could be set for a difficult season ahead.
Three successive defeats to Braga, Bristol City and Real Sociedad in pre-season will not have done much to calm their fans' nerves, either, ahead of this weekend's opening Premier League fixture at home against Aston Villa.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look ahead to Bournemouth's 2022-23 campaign, including predictions, summer signings and their star player.
FIXTURES
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The random fixture generator has not been kind to Bournemouth, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool directly following their aforementioned opening day test against Villa.
Facing three of last season's top five teams in the division so early on in the season places huge pressure on Parker's side to gain a positive result in front of a sell-out crowd on August 6.
In terms of potential relegation rivals, the Cherries travel to fellow promoted sides Nottingham Forest on September 3 and Fulham on October 15, with the reverse fixtures at the Vitality Stadium occurring on January 21 and April 1 respectively.
> Click here to see all of Bournemouth's 2022-23 fixtures
SUMMER SIGNINGS
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In
Marcus Tavernier (£10.7m, Middlesbrough)
Joe Rothwell (free, Blackburn Rovers)
Ryan Fredericks (free, West Ham United)
Out
Robbie Brady (free, Preston North End)
Zeno Rossi (undisclosed, Cambridge United)
Gary Cahill (free, unattached)
Gavin Kilkenny (loan, Stoke City)
Total spent to date: £10.7m
Total received to date: £0m
Net transfer balance: -£10.7m
SQUAD
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Goalkeepers: Mark Travers, Will Dennis
Defenders: Jack Stacey, Adam Smith, Ryan Fredericks, Chris Mepham, James Hill, Lloyd Kelly, Jordan Zemura
Midfielders: Jefferson Lerma, Phillip Billing, Lewis Cook, Joe Rothwell, Marcus Tavernier, Ben Pearson, Ryan Christie, Emiliano Marcondes, David Brooks, Junior Stanislas
Forwards: Dominic Solanke, Kieffer Moore, Jamal Lowe, Jaidon Anthony, Siriki Dembele
STRONGEST XI
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STAR PLAYER - Dominic Solanke
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After only scoring three goals in 42 Premier League appearances following his £19m move from Liverpool in January 2019, Dominic Solanke has hugely benefitted from two seasons in the Championship.
The 24-year-old bagged 15 goals and eight assists in the 2020-21 season, before hugely kicking on last time around with 29 goals and seven assists to his name.
In a normal campaign, that would likely have seen him returning to Premier League football with a Championship top goalscorers' award to his name, but Aleksandar Mitrovic had other ideas as the Fulham forward smashed every record under the sun with 43 goals in 44 games.
Nevertheless, Solanke's physical presence, excellent movement and improved finishing ability will be absolutely pivotal to any success that Bournemouth may have this season.
Only time will tell whether his goalscoring form from the Championship can translate to the Premier League, though, but there is no doubt that the one-time England international is in a much better place to perform at the top level now than he was two years ago.
MANAGER - Scott Parker
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Parker undoubtedly took a risk by leaving Fulham where, despite being relegated in the 2020-21 season, his stock actually increased as a result of making the Cottagers much tougher to beat - a well as a little easier on the eye - than in their previous brief stint in the Premier League.
However, while the former West Ham United midfielder achieved his primary aim of gaining promotion with Bournemouth, Parker will not want a third relegation on his managerial CV.
The 41-year-old is acutely aware of the scale of the challenge facing him and his players, though, recently admitting in an interview, "We're currently way short of where we want to be."
Poor results in pre-season and a lack of new signings have clearly frustrated Parker, but he must ensure that this does not spill over into his players' form - or lack thereof - on the pitch in the opening weeks of a long campaign.
LAST SEASON - 2nd in Championship
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After starting the season with a 15-game unbeaten run, Bournemouth always looked likely to achieve promotion having fallen short in the playoffs in the previous season.
Thirty-seven points from that opening stretch put the Cherries in an incredibly strong position, despite Parker's side suffering from a mid-season lack of form, with only three wins from 12 matches between November 2 and January 22.
Moreover, Nottingham Forest's resurgence under Steve Cooper put real pressure on Bournemouth, especially once it was clear that Fulham would be too difficult to chase as inevitable champions.
Heading into the penultimate clash of the season, Forest visited Bournemouth with the ability to overhaul them in the second automatic promotion spot with a win. However, Parker's side showed nerves of steel to keep the game tight, knowing a draw would be good enough to keep their destiny in their own hands heading into the final day, before Kieffer Moore's 83rd-minute winner sealed promotion to the Premier League in dramatic style.
PREDICTION
With a lack of notable signings, poor pre-season form and the manager outwardly downbeat about his side's chances of being competitive in the Premier League this season, it is difficult to envisage anything but a long, hard season ahead for Bournemouth.
Parker is clearly keen to add further additions to the squad - with them looking particularly short at centre-back - and any developments on that front would undoubtedly improve their chances.
However, with Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool all to come in August, the Cherries' collective spirit could be broken before the season truly begins. Avoiding relegation with this squad would be a remarkable achievement.
VERDICT: 20th
Brett Curtis
