Bournemouth wonderkid Eli Junior Kroupi quickly forces Andoni Iraola U-turn - The Mirror

Bournemouth striker Eli Junior Kroupi has made an impressive start to life in the Premier League and the forward has surpassed his manager's early expectations after signing him

Bournemouth appear to have unearthed a gem in Eli Junior Kroupi, who has defied his manager Andoni Iraola’s expectations. The 19-year-old has made a dream start to life with the Cherries, scoring four goals in six Premier League appearances.

The south coast outfit signed Kroupi from Lorient for £10million in the January transfer window. However, the Cherries decided to loan the 19-year-old back to the French club, ending last season with 22 goals for the Ligue 2 side.

After arriving at Bournemouth, the France U21 international has quickly settled into life on the south coast. Kroupi was initially given late cameos, scoring his first goal off the bench to help salvage a point against Leeds United last month, but an injury to Evanilson has resulted in the youngster making his first league starts for the club.

The striker has stepped up to the challenge, grabbing a brace against Crystal Palace and also netting in Bournemouth’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend to lift the club up to second in the table. Kroupi has earned plenty of plaudits for his impressive displays, with Iraola celebrating the striker’s instincts.

“It's his way of playing, he's a great finisher,” Iraola told Bournemouth Daily Echo after the win over Forest. “I think if he smells the chance of finishing, right foot, left foot, close, far, whatever, he will take it, I think it’s his strength and obviously happy for him.

“It’s very good that he's adding goals to his game. We are demanding him a lot in other different areas and we will try to push him to get better. But obviously very, very pleased.”

This is much different from Iraola’s expectations of Kroupi when asked about the forward shortly after the end of the January transfer window. The Bournemouth boss hoped that Kroupi had the ability to be a success but was far from certain the teenager would immediately thrive in the Premier League.

When asked if Kroupi would be ready for the first team the following season, Iraola admitted to the Bournemouth Daily Echo in February: “I don't know. I hope he is, but I really don't know.

“We have to see him come here. Always when you come to the Premier League there is an adaptation process, especially for someone that is so young, with a new language, a different style of football.

“But obviously when you sign a player it's because you think they have the capacities to perform at this level.”

Despite both Evanilson and Enes Unal being sidelined with injury at the time, the Cherries decided to keep Kroupi with Lorient. Instead, Daniel Jebbison was recalled from his loan spell at Watford.

It has taken only a few months for Kroupi to prove himself to the Bournemouth boss. His goals will present Iraola with a selection dilemma as Evanilson nears a return to fitness. The Cherries take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday as they aim to continue their high-flying start to the season.

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