Ex-Bristol City, Cardiff City, Portsmouth, & West Ham star sacked by Bournemouth

AFC Bournemouth have decided to part company with their head coach Gary O'Neil.

O’Neil - who was a player at Bristol City, Portsmouth, Cardiff City and West Ham, was appointed head coach of Bournemouth in November 2022, having succeeded Scott Parker on an interim basis, following Parkers departure in August. He had overseen 37 matches with Bournemouth, winning 11, losing 20 and drawing six, and that gave him a 15th-placed finish, five points above the drop zone.

It has been decided however by the Dorset club, that they will look to appoint a new head coach, who will help attract different transfer targets, with it being described as a ‘difficult decision’ by Bill Foley - who bought Bournemouth along with Hollywood actor Michael B Jordan earlier this year.

“Gary’s achievement last season is one I will always be grateful for,” said owner Bill Foley on the official club website. This has been a difficult decision, but it has been made with great consideration to best position ourselves ahead of the coming season.

“As a club, we have put plans in place for long-term success with improvements being made to infrastructure, most notably the development of a new state-of-the-art training facility and the ongoing discussions around upgrades to our stadium.

“We have also identified a number of significant targets in the transfer market this summer and believe this change in direction will provide us with the best platform from which to build.

“Gary will go on to have a long career as a head coach or manager, but we feel that, at this moment in time, a change is in the best interests of this football club. I would like to place on record my thanks to Gary and wish him all the best for the future.”

It leaves question marks over the Cherries reported interest in Alex Scott, who is also wanted by seven other Premier League teams. Antoine Semenyo, who made the move to Ashton Gate in January, will now have to impress the new head coach to cement his place in the first-team. Semenyo underwent surgery on a shin problem last month, rectifying an issue that saw him miss a month of football for Bristol City last August. The 23-year-old went on to make 11 appearances in the Premier League for Bournemouth, and got an assist in their 4-1 win over Leeds United.