Bournemouth were good enough to secure a spot in last season’s Championship playoffs, picking up 77 points from their 46 matches to claim sixth, but they fell at the semi-final stage of the playoffs, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Brentford, who managed to earn promotion to England’s top flight.
Now under the leadership of Scott Parker, the Cherries will be expecting to challenge for promotion this term, and it will be fascinating to see whether the former Fulham manager can lead the club back into the Premier League during his first season at the helm.
Bournemouth only actually played three pre-season friendlies, beating Linense in Marbella on July 16 before suffering 2-1 defeats to Granada and Chelsea on July 19 and July 27 respectively.
The Cherries were in EFL Cup action on Saturday, though, and managed to progress to the second round courtesy of a 5-0 victory over MK Dons, with David Brooks, Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Christian Saydee on the scoresheet during an impressive performance.
It has been a relatively quiet summer for the club in terms of incomings, but Emiliano Marcondes and Leif Davis have both arrived, and more new faces are expected to arrive before the transfer window closes.
West Brom, meanwhile, also have a new face at the helm, with Valerien Ismael, who impressed at Barnsley during the 2020-21 campaign, replacing Sam Allardyce as head coach for the 2021-22 campaign.
The Baggies found it difficult to compete in last season’s Premier League, ultimately picking up just 26 points from their 38 matches to finish 19th, which saw them relegated alongside Fulham and Sheffield United.
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West Brom, like Bournemouth, will be expected to challenge for a spot in England’s top flight next term, and they have managed to bring Adam Reach, Alex Mowatt and Matt Clarke to the Hawthorns this summer.
The Baggies have played four pre-season friendlies, beating Woking and Sheffield Wednesday before being held to a goalless draw with Watford on July 24.
Ismael’s side then thumped Birmingham City 4-0 on Saturday, and it is a tough start to the new campaign for West Brom, taking on Bournemouth, Luton Town and Sheffield United in their opening three fixtures
