Sometimes in football, you do everything right and still lose.

AFC Bournemouth did everything they could to keep Andoni Iraola. Everything. But the 43-year-old manager has chosen to move on when his contract expires this summer, and now one of the Premier League's most promising young managers is on the market.

According to David Ornstein, Bournemouth's successor process is already underway, with Kieran McKenna high among the options. That's a smart move - you can't wait around in football - but it doesn't make this any less painful for the Cherries.

Let's talk about what Iraola accomplished at Bournemouth. He didn't just keep them in the Premier League. He transformed them from a relegation-battling side into a team that plays attractive, possession-based football. He gave them an identity. He made them competitive against the big boys.

That kind of transformation doesn't happen by accident. It takes vision, tactical acumen, and the ability to get players to buy into your system. Iraola had all three.

Now the big clubs are circling. And who can blame them? If you're a mid-table Premier League team looking for your next manager, or even a top-six club willing to take a chance on a rising star, Iraola checks every box. He's proven he can work with limited resources. He's shown tactical flexibility. And he's built something sustainable, not just ground out results.

For Bournemouth, this is the price of success. You build something special, and bigger clubs come poaching. It's the circle of football life when you're not one of the super-wealthy clubs.

The potential appointment of Kieran McKenna would soften the blow. McKenna has done excellent work at Ipswich, showing he can develop young players and implement a clear playing philosophy. But he's not Iraola, at least not yet.

Here's what Bournemouth fans should remember: Iraola leaving isn't a failure of the club. It's a testament to what they built together. Managers don't leave relegation-threatened teams for bigger opportunities. They leave teams that have overachieved, that have punched above their weight, that have caught the attention of the football world.