English Premier League: Build-up to Bournemouth v Fulham
A New Secret Weapon for Bournemouth?
Plenty has been said about AFC Bournemouth's organized defense following a significant reshuffle in their defensive unit, but it was an new forward who stole the spotlight in the game against the Whites.
The young striker was signed to offer competition for top scorer Evanilson in Bournemouth's attack, and it was his late goal that won the manager's side a important result on the road.
The forward bagged an impressive 13 goals in as many games for FC Lorient last season, which assisted the side on their way to moving up back to the elite league in French football.
Transitioning from the French second tier to the Premier League was always likely to prove a difficult challenge and, as predicted, Kroupi has thus far been restricted to an super-sub.
His appearance at the recent match coincided with the Bournemouth taking a ‘throw the kitchen sink at it’ approach, but his composure to fire in during added time could prove to be a key asset in future.
A reliable finisher will find the back of the net at every level and the attacker demonstrated that with the way he positioned himself and calmly finished under pressure – a pivotal event for him.
Will Eli Junior earn a starting role after his contribution on matchday? Perhaps. But it's clear, Andoni Iraola's side have uncovered one more component in the manager's smoothly running system.
