'We are not just there to make numbers up' - Tavernier

As Bournemouth prepare for the new season, they have unfamiliar territory added to their schedule - European football.

The Cherries have already made a stand in their attempts to keep their star players at the Vitality Stadium for the upcoming campaign by rejecting a £64m bid for Alex Scott from Chelsea.

Marcus Tavernier told BBC Radio Solent: "We're in a position now where we have reached Europe, and we want to keep our squad and the club have made a stand on that."

After an emphatic 2025-26 campaign under Andoni Iraola, the Cherries will feature in the Europa League for the upcoming season and Tavernier said they plan to make a mark in their debut European football campaign.

"We are not just there to make numbers up, we want to compete and go as far as possible and reach the later stages. The only way you do this is to keep your best players and that is what the club is looking to do," added Tavernier.

Although the Cherries' new boss Marco Rose aims to play a similar style of football to Iraola, the attacking midfielder said the side "have to adapt a little bit."

"He knows our team is very suited to a certain style of play. He is wanting to do that as well with some small tweaks that we are working on, and we are going to implement that in the pre-season matches."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds here or by pressing play above