Expert insight: What will Alvaro Rodriguez bring to Bournemouth?

Officially putting pen-to-paper on his Cherries contract on his 22nd birthday, Rodriguez started what has become a trend of the summer so far.

All three signings since Rose took charge in place of Andoni Iraola have been highly-rated 22-year-olds, tipped for big things during their fledgling careers.

Rodriguez arrived in a deal said to be worth an initial £21million, to bolster Cherries’ attacking options.

Fans are yet to see the Spanish-born Uruguayan in action in pre-season due to injury, but with Junior Kroupi set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Rodriguez could have a big role to play when he is up to speed himself.

Rodriguez joined Real Madrid as a teenager, spending five years at the club and featuring 10 times for the first team, sharing a pitch with the likes of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Dani Carvajal, Thibault Courtois, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

The standout moment undoubtedly came in February 2023, coming off the bench to score a late equaliser against rivals Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.

With game-time limited, and following a loan spell at Getafe, a permanent switch to top-flight Elche followed last summer, reportedly for less than £2m, although Madrid retained a large future sell-on percentage.

There he featured regularly, netting seven goals in 36 appearances, the majority as a starter, which tempted Bournemouth enough to swoop in.

To get more insight into what Alvaro Rodriguez will bring to AFC Bournemouth, we spoke with Jordan Thomas, who has been writing about Spanish football for nearly a decade and runs his own Spanish football specific website, LaLiga and Beyond.

Q: For those who have never seen him play, give a brief overview into the type of player Bournemouth have signed in Alvaro Rodriguez.

Alvaro Rodriguez is a modern striker.

He’s 6ft4 yet has a wonderful first touch, can play with his back to goal and play in behind. He’s not a prolific scorer but he’s a scorer of great goals - check out the goal he scored on the final day of the season against Girona to keep Elche up.

He’s a striker who is a lot of fun. He’s eye catching and I think he is a player that Bournemouth fans will take to their hearts immediately and become a fan favourite. 

Q: Alvaro has just turned 22 so is still early into his professional career. What would you highlight as his greatest strength and weakness as a striker currently?

He is still just 22 but, due to B teams playing in the league system, Alvaro has been playing men’s football for five years now.

His greatest strength in Spain might also be his greatest weakness in England.

His ability to use his body to pin defenders and bring others into play was crucial for Elche, but in a more physical league he will have to adapt to that style.

In terms of areas to improve, for me, Alvaro needs to be more involved in games. At times he can drift in and out, which is expected for a young striker, but Bournemouth will need more from him for longer.

Q: Alvaro featured for and scored for the Real Madrid first team, before being sold last summer. Did it ever look realistic he could make a big breakthrough and get chances to play more there?

A club with a global fanbase like Real Madrid, where even Castilla players are followed religiously, means that almost every player has an army of backers demanding they get first team opportunities.

Alvaro, to me, always felt on the fringes. Barcelona and La Masia is held up as the model academy, but there is a reason Real Madrid’s academy translates as the factory. No club produces more first division players in Europe than Real Madrid - this summer they’ve sold €200 million worth of talent.

Real Madrid mass produces quality players and many go on to have strong careers elsewhere having made a handful of appearances for the first team and Alvaro falls into that bracket.

Coming through the Real Madrid system will no doubt have helped his early development - what can you say about him as a character away from the pitch?

Despite playing for Uruguay at under-20 level, Alvaro was born in Palamos in Catalunya. The reason why is his father Coquito played for Palamos in the late 80s and settled in the area. His father was a wonderkid making his debut at 15 and won the Intercontinental Championship at just 17.

His father passed away just three months ago at the age of 60, which will have no doubt had a big impact on Alvaro. Alvaro also had a great uncle who played for Uruguay, so his family has a long history of professional football.

There have been no controversies surrounding Alvaro and he seems a typical Uruguayan player, full of fight, a good teammate and a player that fans love. 

Q: The fee is thought to be an initial £21million - does that represent good value in the market?

The market is mad. In Spain, there is a general sense of shock at the size of the fees English clubs are paying either each other or other leagues, so €21million for Alvaro Rodriguez in the current market seems value for money.

Elche were happy and I think Bournemouth can be happy with the fee.

A wider issue for Spanish football will be that clubs will have to start increasing release clauses, which are required by law to ensure they’re getting the maximum value for players sold - albeit this case didn’t involve triggering that clause.

Q: We are yet to see exactly how new manager Marco Rose will set the team up at Bournemouth. What sort of tactical system/game scenarios do you feel Alvaro is best suited to generally?

He has had quite a contrasting two seasons.

In 24/25 he spent an unhappy season at Getafe. They are the most direct team in Europe’s top five leagues with the ball often in play for around 50 minutes per game.

He struggled under that style, and last season was a sharp contrast. Eder Sarabia is one of the brightest young coaches in Spanish football and the team like to build up the play and press high.

Elche last season averaged almost 60% possession per game, despite that though they had a trio of target men strikers to help them switch it up and Alvaro was one of the three. All three posted good seasons but by the end Alvaro had become the first choice.

Marco Rose historically has been a coach who likes to see his sides press and Alvaro will be a willing presser, a skill he excelled at under Sarabia, while also being an outlet when Bournemouth are under pressure.

Q: After a good season with Elche in La Liga, does Alvaro look like somebody ready to slot straight into the Premier League, or do you see a possible period of adaptation before he is at his best?

I always believe a period of adaptation is needed for a player, particularly a young player going from LaLiga to the Premier League. Despite the influx of Spanish coaches to England, it’s still a more physical, intense league.

As someone who is wishing success for Alvaro Rodriguez, it was a shame to see Junior Kroupi ruled out for 3-4 months, as that will increase the pressure on the Uruguayan to hit the ground running.

At Elche last season it took time for us to see the best of Alvaro after a painful season with Getafe.

While he might have learned from that, I am hoping he is given the time he needs to succeed which I am sure he will be given at Bournemouth.

Stay close to Cherries On Top this week for in-depth looks at fellow new signings Antonio Silva and Juanlu.

LaLiga and Beyond is dedicated to covering Spanish football beyond the big two looking at the football, culture and history of Spanish football.

He has been writing about Spanish football for nearly a decade having moved there in 2019.

Follow more of Jordan’s work on his Substack here.