Bournemouth Transfer Window Review: Di Gregorio a Steal, Senesi Departure Hurts
With the window bolted shut until January, Bournemouth supporters are starting to weigh up what this summer has really delivered. For fan Josh Wyatt, speaking to BBC Radio Solent, it lands in solid territory: a seven out of 10. Not spectacular. Not disastrous. Workmanlike, with one standout bargain and one painful goodbye.
The most eye-catching bit of business, in Wyatt’s eyes, didn’t arrive to score goals or boss midfield. It came between the posts.
He picked out Michele Di Gregorio, in on loan, as the steal of the summer. The logic is simple and rooted in recent experience. Backup goalkeepers change seasons.
"I actually think bringing in a back-up goalkeeper is so crucial," Wyatt said, pointing straight back to last year’s lesson with Djordje Petrovic. Bournemouth had moved to add competition with Christos Mandas and Fraser Forster. Petrovic had wobbled early, but the moment there were serious alternatives breathing down his neck, his form shifted. Different goalkeeper, different presence.
The Everton game underlined the point for Wyatt. Petrovic produced “some really good saves”, the kind that swing tight matches and calm nervous defences. So when Bournemouth secured Di Gregorio – Juventus’ number one last season – for £1m, Wyatt didn’t hesitate to call it a bargain. In a market where mid-table clubs routinely pay far more for far less pedigree, that fee jumps off the page.
If Di Gregorio is the bargain, Antonio Silva is the one Wyatt expects to become the headline act.
He singled out the young centre-back as the signing most likely to shine, stressing how polished he already looks. Bournemouth, in his view, have picked up a defender who wouldn’t look out of place at a top European club within a couple of years. It’s early, but the composure is there, the authority is there, and fans have seen enough already to believe the ceiling is high.
Not every story from this window is upbeat, though. One departure still stings.
Asked which outgoing he would miss most, Wyatt didn’t hesitate: Marcos Senesi, now at Tottenham. This isn’t just about losing a good player; it’s about losing one of last season’s cornerstones on a free to a direct rival.
"He had a superb year for us, winning a few awards for Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season," Wyatt said. Those honours tell their own story. Teammates trusted him. Fans trusted him. He anchored a defence that underpinned Bournemouth’s progress.
To see him walk away to Spurs, a side that finished below Bournemouth last season, cuts deep. No fee. No leverage. Just a key defender leaving for a club the Cherries are trying to keep behind them. “Obviously going to hurt,” Wyatt admitted. “Definitely Senesi will be a big miss.”
Even with that frustration, his overall verdict remains positive. Bournemouth have held on to their core. The “big names”, as he put it, are still in place. The squad looks stronger in goal, richer in defensive potential, and largely intact where it matters most.
Seven out of 10, then. A window marked by a shrewd gamble on a former Juventus number one, the promise of a rising centre-back, and the lingering question of how big the hole left by Senesi will feel once the season’s battles start to bite.
