Eli Junior Kroupi is one of the Premier League’s most interesting young stars, but is his form sustainable and can Bournemouth rely on him? The Premier League has a proud history of ‘super-subs’.
Long ago we had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming off the bench scoring important goals for Man United, then Jermaine Defoe for one of the several sides he was at.
Eli Junior Kroupi, whose father is from Ivory Coast, has only been here for half a season, but six goals in just 510 Premier League minutes, three of which have been off the bench, make him the most prolific striker in the competition, averaging 1.06 goals per 90 minutes.
Bournemouth have tumbled down the Premier League table over the past couple of months, going from as high as second to 15th. So, who is Junior Kroupi, and could he be the man to save their season?
Clinical Finisher Across All Ranges
Standing at 5’10” with a skinny build, the 19-year-old French-Ivorian should be considered a traditional number nine, though there aren’t many like him in the Premier League beyond Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago.
Coming up through the youth ranks at FC Lorient, he was often deployed on the left wing, earning comparisons to Kylian Mbappe.
Watching him play, it quickly becomes clear that finishing is the strongest aspect of his game. Kroupi Junior has a knack for placing the ball just out of the goalkeeper’s reach, often finding the corners rather than the centre of the net. He scores from everywhere—close range, mid-range, and long-range.
Examples include his 93rd-minute equalizer against Leeds, a precise finish in the 4-4 draw with Manchester United, and a long-range strike in the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on January 3.
Sustainability Concerns Amid Overperformance
Despite his impact, Junior Kroupi’s numbers are skewed by limited minutes. He has only had 33 touches in the opposition box, completed 86 passes, and won 17 duels.
His xG stands at 2.94, showing he is overperforming in front of goal, even more so than Bryan Mbeumo last season. With six goals from just 17 shots, ten on target, the efficiency is impressive—but unlikely to be sustainable unless he is a true statistical outlier.
Kroupi Junior will score some important goals for Bournemouth this season, but they cannot rely solely on him to reverse their slump.
Andoni Iraola would be better off addressing defensive vulnerabilities rather than depending entirely on the youngster.
