After his side drew 1-1 with Brighton, Bournemouth manager Iraola publicly expressed frustration over the club's lack of reinforcements. However, compared to previous managers who have openly voiced dissatisfaction, Iraola’s wording was more restrained.
Iraola said: "We’re currently in a very, very delicate situation. You could see it from our bench against Brighton: four young players and three defenders were sitting there. We’re forced to rely on the same group of players for every match and every minute.
“We simply can’t ask any more from the players we currently have available. They’ve already given everything they’ve got, but we genuinely need help. I think that’s very clear.
“The club is working hard to address this issue. As a manager, you’d like to have new players in place before January 1st, but I also understand how difficult it is to sign players during the winter transfer window.
“Sometimes, existing players don’t want new signings because it might reduce their playing time. But in our case, they’re even saying, ‘We need someone to come in and help—otherwise, it’s just too tough.’”
Bournemouth sold star player Semenyo during the winter window and, in last summer’s transfer window, parted ways with key first-team players such as Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez, Ouattara, and Anthony. Currently, Ben Doak, Tavernier, Adams, and Junior Kluivert are all injured, leaving Iraola severely short-handed in terms of squad depth.