Bournemouth took their time to get up and running under Marco Rose.
The Cherries opened the season with a six-game winless run. That included a shocking 5-1 loss at Chelsea in the first match back following the international break. Teething issues were expected on the south coast, of course. Rose had huge shoes to fill at the Vitality Stadium helm.
Andoni Iraola guided Bournemouth to a first ever European finish before departing for Liverpool earlier this year. Prized centre-back Marcos Senesi left for Tottenham Hotspur. Antonio Silva at least replaced the latter. Losing Eli Junior Kroupi to a lengthy ankle injury sustained in pre-season hardly helped.
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So, when Bournemouth fell to a 5-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge earlier this month, some may have feared for Rose. The Cherries, though, are incredibly patient. Good things come to those who wait. Rose looks to have stumbled upon the right formula to haul Bournemouth away from danger.
Successive wins over, admittedly disappointing, Sunderland and Manchester United has lifted Bournemouth up the table. And the focal point to the seaside club is Brazilian star Evanilson.
Evanilson’s flying start to the season
The former FC Porto man bagged his third league goal of the season at Old Trafford on Sunday. He nicked the ball away from Senne Lammens and finished expertly to really cap a fine afternoon in Manchester.
What’s more, Evanilson has four assists to his name in England’s top tier this term. No player has more. Only Erling Haaland (9) and Joao Pedro (8) have been directly involved in more goals than the 27-year-old this season. He’s demonstrated his value to this Bournemouth side as both a goalscorer and a creator.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise. The way this Bournemouth outfit is set up plays to Evanilson’s strengths. With both Marcus Tavernier and Rayan featuring down the left and right, respectively, Evanilson has two rapid wide outlets that thrive with the Brazil international leading the charge.
The duo are quick off the mark and able to maximise the space afford to them when Evanilson drops deep. Here, the pair can utilise their directness to drive for goal. The duo don’t rank high for completed take ons. Rather, they switch on the afterburners and absolutely roast defenders.
Elite hold up play
And with Evanilson able to impressively hold off markers and create chances for the pair, it’s a relationship between the trio that is reaping the rewards. After all, the Bournemouth star is being dispossessed just 0.8 times per 90 in the Premier League this season. He’s creating 1.2 chances per 90.
Three of his four assists have been for Tavernier, the joint-best assist-to-goalscorer combination in the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
The ability to hold up play effectively benefits a Bournemouth side that doesn’t see loads of the ball. Rose’s side rank joint-ninth for possession (48.7%) in the Premier League this season. More often than not, they’ll be outplayed by opponents. It means having a striker of Evanilson’s skillset is vital, and all the more so against teams that do press aggressively.
He’s there to help ease pressure on the Bournemouth goal, all the while holding off markers that allow teammates to push upfield. With a willingness to bring others into play, this creates space to be exploited, which, as Tavernier and Rayan’s performances show, they do superbly.
What’s more, there is the variety to his attacking style that adds to the unpredictability around both himself and the way Bournemouth seek to hurt teams. Evanilson is one who’d happily run the channel if required. Additionally, he can play off the shoulder of the last defender, or receive the ball to feet with his back to goal.
The Premier League’s best striker this season?
There is a noticeable dip in quality on the Bournemouth frontline without Evanilson. The attack seems disjointed. They aren’t nearly as effective when he’s unavailable. Quantifying his effectiveness is tough to do given his impact both on and off the ball.
One way of doing so, however, is through goals. A striker’s job is to put the ball in the back of the net, which does let Evanilson down. Having bagged 10 goals in his debut Premier League campaign, he followed that up with just six last season. He’s already halfway to matching that haul after the opening eight games of the campaign.
A 14.3% conversion rate isn’t one to write home about, especially when compared to compatriot Pedro (31.5%), Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland (both 30%). A little more composure in the final third would go a long way to boosting Evanilson’s profile.
In the meantime, supporters are more than happy for Evanilson to continue performing the way he does. The goals aren’t flowing as freely as some may hope, yet he’s bringing a little bit of everything to this Bournemouth forward line. There is an argument to be made he’s the most complete forward of the season so far.