Gradel – Injuries ruined Bournemouth spell

Max Gradel might have left Bournemouth last summer but he feels injuries were the only reason he failed to succeed on the south coast.

The Ivory Coast international was one of the Cherries’ big-money signings ahead of their first season in the Premier League back in 2015, but he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury just a few weeks after arriving at the club which kept him on the sidelines for the best part of six months.

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Gradel was never really able to force his way back into Eddie Howe’s first team on his return to full fitness and spent the 2017-18 campaign on loan at French club Toulouse before making that move permanent last summer.

However, the 31-year-old has now revealed he does not have any regrets about joining Bournemouth in the first place and feels he would have been a success at the Vitality Stadium had injuries not got in the way.

When asked if he felt he had made a mistake by joining Bournemouth, Gradel told RMC Sport: “No, no. It’s true that people today think I made a mistake.

“I decided to go to Bournemouth because I wanted to return to England to play in the Premier League. “Then you have to think that I returned to France after no longer playing for the Cherries because of a serious knee injury.

Before that, I was playing and doing well, featuring most games. Everything started with the injury.” Gradel has rediscovered his best form in France, scoring 10 goals in 26 Ligue 1 appearances to date this season.