Bournemouth’s billionaire owner, Bill Foley, has said he is confident the club can qualify for Europe within five years and that they should take inspiration from Brighton’s history-making rise. The American, who this week celebrated a year since taking control of the club, also insisted his faith in the head coach, Andoni Iraola, never wavered. Bournemouth, 14th in the Premier League, have won four of their past five matches and are looking up the table after a difficult start.
Bournemouth finished 15th last season but sacked Gary O’Neil in June in favour of hiring Iraola, who won plaudits for his work at Rayo Vallecano. At the time Foley said Iraola was “the right man to lead our next chapter”. Asked about his overarching vision for the club in a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian, Foley said: “I want Bournemouth to play in Europe – that’s our goal. It’s not going to be easy but I’m confident we can get there. Brighton are a great inspiration, they do a terrific job. I certainly think we can be in Europe within five years.”
