Huijsen, Kerkez & Zabarnyi all set for exits - How Bournemouth constructed & lost their defence

AFC Bournemouth have one of the smallest stadiums in Europe's top-five leagues, with a capacity of just 11,307, but the south-coast side proved to be one of the surprise packages in the Premier League last season. The Cherries equalled their highest ever Premier League finishing position (9th), and surpassed their best ever points total (56). They only just missed out on qualifying for Europe for the very first time. Much of their success was centred around their solid defence, masterfully mentored by manager Andoni Iraola. 

Centre-back partners Ilya Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen formed a formidable partnership following the latter's €19.6 million move from Juventus last summer. Milos Kerkez developed into one of the best young left-backs in the Premier League, whilst goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, on loan from Chelsea, and right-back and club captain Adam Smith, provided some experience. A few months later, and it could be only the skipper that remains. The club have made a habit out of signing young defenders that have gone on to massively improve in recent years.

How Bournemouth built such a strong young defence

Ukrainian centre-half Ilya Zabarnyi was signed by Bournemouth in 2022 from Dynamo Kiev for a fee of €22.7m. He was just 20-years-old at the time and the only defender the club had ever paid more for was Nathan Aké (€20.8m from Chelsea four years prior). The Cherries' foresight, vision and faith soon paid off on the young centre-back, with Zabarnyi now boasting a market value of €42m. Hungarian full-back Kerkez was signed from AZ Alkmaar for €20.5m in 2023. At the time, that was the third most the club had ever paid for a defender, and seen as a huge outlay, and somewhat of a gamble for a teenage defender. Kerkez's market value was just €15m at the time. However, after two years at the Vitality Stadium, Kerkez's market value had risen to €45m.

The success stories don't end there, and perhaps the greatest piece of business was the €19.6m signing of centre-back Dean Huijsen from Juventus - a deal that the Old Lady will be massively regretting now. Following an injury to centre-half Marcos Senesi early on last term, Huijsen got his chance and took the Premier League by storm. By the end of the campaign he was one of the division's brightest young centre-backs, a full Spain international, and boasted a market value of €60m.

How Bournemouth's defence was pulled apart this summer

Spotting young talent early on and developing them astutely does come at a price for a club like Bournemouth - it's tough to hang on to them for too long. Whilst the transfer profits are soaring this summer for the Cherries, little remains of the defence that served them so well last term. Huijsen completed a €62.5m move to Spanish giants Real Madrid before the Club World Cup, turning a €42.9m profit on the young defender after just one season at the club. Full-back Kerkez completed a €46.9m move to Premier League champions Liverpool earlier in the summer - a €26.6m profit on the Hungarian for the Cherries.

Now, Zabarnyi also looks as though he will depart for a European giant this summer. According to reports, the Ukrainian is set to sign for Champions League winners PSG. The deal is expected to exceed a fee of €50m. Financially, these deals are superb for Bournemouth. The club are set to generate close to €200m for three young defenders they spent a combined €62.8m on. However, they have still lost three key players that will need replacing. The 23-year-old Frenchman Adrien Truffert has been brought in from Stade Rennes for €13.5m to compete with young Julio Soler at left-back, whilst keeper Djordje Petrovic has been signed to replace Arrizabalaga. Nevertheless, the club look short at centre-back, and will be hoping their forward-thinking scouting team can pluck the next Huijsen or the next Zabarnyi this summer.