CHAIRMAN Bill Foley has outlined his “modest goal” of a 12th-placed finish for Cherries this season, insisting: “If we were to be relegated, it would just be bad luck.”

Cherries are winless in their first seven Premier League games this campaign, and slipped into the bottom three following a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday.

It has been a tough gauntlet of opening fixtures for new boss Andoni Iraola, already having faced five of the current top seven in the division.

Speaking in December 2022, shortly after buying the club, Foley insisted Cherries would not be relegated. Under Gary O’Neil, they achieved that goal, finishing 15th, five points clear of the drop.

Asked about the prospect of relegation this season, in an interview with Men in Blazers podcast ahead of the Arsenal loss, Foley said: “We’re not afraid of relegation.

“We have a good team. If we were to be relegated, it would just be bad luck, because we have a good team.

“People will start seeing that.”

Foley, who sanctioned around £90million on new arrivals to the squad this summer, added: “I believe we’ll end up 12th or so in the league.

“That’s a modest goal, based upon the players we have in place.

“If we don’t get there and we end up being 13th or 14th, I won’t be completely unhappy.

“But I believe we need to make progress. We need to advance.

“If you’re not advancing, you’re retreating, so always advance.”