Bournemouth’s worst Premier League signings of all time

Since their historic promotion to the Premier League in 2015, Bournemouth have established themselves as a competitive presence in England's top flight, despite two seasons back in the Championship following their relegation in 2020.

The Cherries have made a number of shrewd additions over the years, but not every signing has delivered the desired impact after arriving at the Vitality Stadium.

Some big-money moves have failed to live up to expectations, while other arrivals struggled for consistency, game time or simply failed to make a lasting impression in a Bournemouth shirt.

The rankings consider each player's contribution to the club, with their performances, consistency, transfer fee, longevity and overall impact all taken into account.

Here, FootballWhispers counts down Bournemouth's five worst signings of the Premier League era.

Max Gradel

In 2015, Max Gradel returned to Bournemouth as one of the club's most exciting signings ahead of their first ever Premier League campaign, joining from Saint-Etienne for a reported £7 million on a four-year deal.

However, his return to the Vitality Stadium could not have got off to a worse start.

Just 24 days after signing, the Ivorian winger suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Leicester City which ruled him out for six months.

Gradel eventually returned to action but struggled to establish himself as a regular, making just 25 appearances across his two seasons with the Cherries and scoring just once.

His injury problems continued to hamper his progress, with Gradel unable to rediscover the form that had made him such an exciting player during his first spell at the club.

That makes his inclusion on this list somewhat harsh, given his previous success on the south coast.

Gradel scored 10 goals in 38 appearances across two loan spells at Bournemouth between 2007 and 2009, playing a key role as the club fought their way up the Football League.

However, his second spell came at a crucial time for Bournemouth as they attempted to establish themselves in the Premier League, and the £7 million investment ultimately produced very little return before he departed for Toulouse in 2017.

Lewis Grabban

Like Max Gradel, Lewis Grabban had previous spells at Bournemouth that make his inclusion on this list seem perhaps unfair.

The striker enjoyed a hugely successful first spell on the south coast, scoring 35 goals across two seasons, including 22 in the Championship during the 2013-14 campaign, as he established himself as one of the division's most prolific forwards.

Bournemouth sold him to Norwich City for £3 million in 2014, only to re-sign him for £7 million 18 months later following their promotion to the Premier League.

However, Grabban was unable to replicate his previous form after returning to the Cherries.

Across 18 Premier League appearances, the Englishman failed to score and provided just one assist before falling down the pecking order and being sent out on loan.

Despite his lack of impact, Bournemouth did manage to limit the financial damage, selling Grabban to Nottingham Forest for £6 million in 2017.

Considering he failed to score a single Premier League goal during his second spell, recouping almost the entirety of their initial £7 million fee makes his inclusion on the list a little more complicated than some of the club's other poor signings.

Lee Tomlin

Lee Tomlin arrived at Bournemouth under Eddie Howe with a reputation as a talented attacking midfielder who had the ability to make the step up to the Premier League, but he ultimately failed to live up to those expectations.

After struggling to adapt to the tactical demands and intensity of top-flight football, Tomlin made just six appearances for the Cherries before joining Bristol City on loan, with the move eventually becoming permanent.

Across those six appearances, Tomlin played just 289 minutes and failed to register either a goal or an assist, making little impact during Bournemouth's first season in the Premier League.

His short-lived spell on the south coast means there is little argument against his inclusion among Bournemouth's worst Premier League signings, particularly given the expectations surrounding his arrival.

Benik Afobe

Benik Afobe arrived at Bournemouth in January 2016 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported £10 million fee, becoming one of the club's most expensive signings at the time.

His 63 appearances, the second most from any player on this list, shows that the Cherries believed there was potential there and hoped their big-money arrival would eventually come good.

However, Afobe scored just 10 goals in three Premier League seasons, none in 17 appearances during his final year, and was eventually sent back to Wolverhampton in 2018.

In comparison, Bournemouth's other attacking options during the same period, particularly Josh King and Callum Wilson, proved far more prolific in front of goal and established themselves as key figures in the club's Premier League history.

Although Bournemouth did manage to sell him back to Wolves for a reported £12.5 million, turning a profit on the initial investment, his limited Premier League impact means he remains a fair inclusion among the club's worst signings of the era.

Jordan Ibe

Jordan Ibe has played for 11 different clubs in 15 years, with a career that began at Wycombe Wanderers amid plenty of promise and belief that he could eventually go on to play for England.

In July 2016, Ibe signed for Bournemouth on a four-year deal for a club-record £15 million fee, with a reported buy-back and sell-on clause included in the deal for Liverpool.

After failing to score in his first season, Ibe was publicly criticised by Eddie Howe for his lack of consistency and was eventually dropped to the bench.

The big-money arrival eventually found the net in 2018 against Arsenal, 18 months after making his Bournemouth debut, but he struggled to build any momentum and was released on a free transfer in June 2020.

The Cherries lost out on a significant amount of money on Ibe and were unable to find a buyer during his four-year stay, meaning they had to persist with an underwhelming signing who ultimately produced just 10 goal involvements in 78 Premier League appearances.

Considering the record fee involved and the expectations that came with his arrival, Ibe's lack of goals, assists and consistency makes him one of the clearest examples of a Bournemouth signing that failed to live up to its potential.