Eli Junior Kroupi's stunning goal for Bournemouth against Wolves will help soften the blow of losing Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City.
Losing Antoine Semenyo was always going to be a bitter blow for Bournemouth, but goals like Eli Junior Kroupi's against Wolves on Saturday go some way to softening the blow of the Ghana international's recent departure to Manchester City.
Andoni Iraola's side had yet to register a shot on target against the Premier League's bottom side when Kroupi controlled Amine Adli's flick on the edge of the Wolves penalty area with 12 minutes of the first half remaining.
Moments later goalkeeper Jose Sa was picking the ball out of his net after being beaten by Kroupi's thunderous, looping strike, which looked set to be the game's only goal until Alex Scott doubled Bournemouth's advantage in stoppage time.
It was Kroupi's eighth league goal of the season, lifting him level with Barcelona star Lamine Yamal as the highest-scoring teenager in Europe's top five leagues in 2025-26.
The last Frenchman to score as often in an English top-flight season before his 20th birthday was Arsenal's Nicolas Anelka, who struck 13 times for Arsene Wenger's Gunners in 1998-99.
Kroupi, who does not turn 20 until June, needs only two more goals to hit double figures - a tally reached by only 10 teenagers in Premier League history.
He may be a different player to Semenyo, but Kroupi - whose eight goals have come in only 10 starts - has the potential to be just as big a star.
"When you are 19 with eight goals, it is incredible because he doesn't start every game," Iraola told BBC Match of the Day. "He gives us quality on the ball, which is always important.
"We can put him in that position around the box - he can score goals. He also gives us work-rate, so we keep him on the pitch."
'He reminds me a little of Mbappe'
Kroupi's talent has not been a secret - least of all to his former team-mates and coaches at boyhood club Lorient.
The youngest player to appear for the club in Ligue 1, Kroupi became the youngest scorer in Lorient's top-flight history when he found the net against Nantes during the 2023-24 campaign, aged 17 years and 92 days.
After one particularly eye-catching display, former Chelsea midfielder and Lorient team-mate Tiemoue Bakayoko said of Kroupi: He's a phenomenon. He reminds me a little of [Kylian] Mbappe in terms of the maturity in his game."
There was certainly a hint of France and Real Madrid striker Mbappe in Kroupi's goal against Wolves - the cushioned first touch, swiftly followed by the lethal second.
Only four players - Erling Haaland, Igor Thiago, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Semenyo - have found the net more often in the Premier League than Kroupi this term.
Given the number of scoring opportunities Bournemouth tend to create, there could well be more to come.
"I've been so impressed with him - not just today, but all season," former Manchester City, Newcastle and Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Final Score. "He looks like he's been here all his life."
Speaking to Match of the Day after the win at Molineux, Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott said: "We've seen what Kroupi has done today.
"We've got some incredible footballers here. We've got some young lads who are almost superstars."
Scott may not have been referring to the 19-year-old alone, with Alex Jimenez continuing to shine and Brazilian youngster Rayan delivering the assist for Scott on his full Bournemouth debut.
On Saturday, though, the headlines belonged to Kroupi.
Iraola considering 'two number nines'
Kroupi has impressed as an out-and-out striker this season, scoring twice in a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace and once in a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Bournemouth striker Evanilson missed those games with a calf injury, but he has scored three goals in his past five league appearances and appears unlikely to lose his place in Iraola's starting line-up any time soon.
With club record signing Rayan keen to make an impression at his new club, Iraola may have one or two difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks.
"We're trying to find a way of playing with two number nines," he told Sky Sports. "In possession, we are more of a threat if we can put Junior and Evanilson around the box.
"We have a lot of young players and we have to accept sometimes some mistakes.
"But they are competing really well every game they play. They are giving us really good performances and I hope we can help them evolve."
Category: General Sports
