AFC Bournemouth will kick off their Premier League season with an away match against Manchester City, aiming to secure their first-ever points at the Etihad Stadium. Ahead of the game, AFC Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher sat down for an exclusive interview with FotMob, reflecting on the club's development, squad changes, and aspirations for the new season.

Without Steve Fletcher, AFC Bournemouth might not be challenging Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium today. Instead, they might be facing National League teams like Altrincham or Kidderminster in their opening match of the new season. Eighteen months after leaving Dean Court as the club's all-time appearance record holder, Fletcher returned to AFC Bournemouth. In the penultimate round of the 2008/09 season, he scored the winning goal against Grimsby, helping the team avoid relegation.

He recalled: "If we had been relegated then, the consequences might have been more than just dropping to the fifth tier; we might have even faced liquidation."

Ultimately, AFC Bournemouth survived and achieved three promotions in the subsequent six seasons, entering England's top flight for the first time in 2015. Although the team was relegated to the Championship in 2020, they returned to the Premier League just two years later and secured their survival with a 15th-place finish under Gary O'Neil.

Fletcher stated: "We are a very humble club and we have always stuck to our history, and we never let anyone forget that. We are not a typical Premier League club; we have to give our all, both on and off the pitch, for even the slightest chance. What happened to AFC Bournemouth is a fairy tale that you might only experience once in a lifetime. Every day I think about how lucky we are. I always tell everyone, 'You have to understand that this is not normal for AFC Bournemouth right now. Whether you win, lose, or draw, enjoy every minute.' Our normal level might be League One, or at most the Championship. But now we are in the Premier League, the most competitive league in the world, and we are playing here every week. Love it, enjoy it, cherish it, and always remember where we came from."

Between 1992 and 2013, Fletcher made 726 appearances for AFC Bournemouth, scoring 122 goals, which is 243 more appearances than any other player in the club's history. After retiring, he continued to work for the club in various roles, including scout, club ambassador, and assistant coach, serving under several head coaches. In 2023, after Andoni Iraola's appointment, he became the team's player liaison officer. Under Iraola, the team first finished 12th in the Premier League, then equaled their best-ever ranking in the 2024/25 season, finishing 9th.

Despite subsequently losing several key players, including Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Ouattara, and Semenyo, AFC Bournemouth still achieved a 6th-place finish in the 2025/26 season and qualified for European competition for the first time. From "underdog" to a European team, AFC Bournemouth's identity has changed. Last season, several Champions League-level clubs paid high transfer fees for their core players, and Iraola quickly joined Liverpool after leaving this summer.

Fletcher commented: "When you achieve success like AFC Bournemouth has, the risk of losing your head coach is actually the same as losing players, and we did lose a lot of important players. For the fans, this is the reality. At least we sold players to big clubs, not rivals. They went to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City... these are top clubs in the world. For the players, it's the next step in their career, and we have to replace them with young, talented players. It's tough when you lose an entire squad, but we just have to accept it."

AFC Bournemouth subsequently appointed Marco Rose to replace Iraola, making him only the second head coach from outside the British Isles in the club's history. This summer, the squad has remained relatively stable, with only Senesi moving to Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer. The remaining key players have stayed, and only two substitutes have departed. The club signed Antonio Silva (25 million euros) from Benfica to strengthen the central defense, brought in Juanlu Sánchez at right-back to replace Alex J. M. Giménez, and signed Álvaro Rodríguez to bolster the attack.

Fletcher said: "When you lose important players, it's very difficult to replace them. You can't just buy ready-made players. If you want a player like Semenyo, you'd have to spend £60 million, which is unrealistic. We typically spend £25-30 million looking for potential players like Rayan. Players and coaches will come and go, but the key is to make new signings feel welcome, and help them integrate into the team, the city, and the club's history. The new players have performed well, and Marco Rose has had a good start to pre-season, scoring 22 goals in 5 games, but the real test begins against Manchester City. Manchester City has a new manager, but they are still strong contenders for the Premier League title."

After a 0-3 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, Maresca desperately needs a win to boost morale. However, Manchester City are unbeaten in their last four encounters with AFC Bournemouth. Their most recent meeting was a draw in the penultimate round of the 2025/26 season. Maresca had previously won his first two matches against AFC Bournemouth while managing Leicester City and Chelsea, but then drew the next three. This time, will Maresca get back to winning ways, or will AFC Bournemouth have a surprising start to the Marco Rose era? The answer will be revealed in Manchester.

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