Antoine Semenyo papers over Bournemouth cracks as Cherries boss Andoni Iraola prepares to unleash £40.2m recruit Evanilson to help fill void left by Dominic Solanke

The sight of Antoine Semenyo skying a shot into the upper tiers of the Bridgford Stand typified the frailties of a team without their ‘best player’. That is how Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola described Dominic Solanke, who joined Tottenham for £65million a week before the season opener.

Although Semenyo redeemed himself by equalising in the 86th minute, the Cherries lacked the attacking potency that last season’s top scorer Solanke provided.

Prior to that, the visitors looked ready to make the long journey back to the south coast with just three shots on target.

And that’s where new club record signing Evanilson comes in.

The 24-year-old Brazil striker arrives from Porto where he scored 25 goals last season, including four in the Champions League, helping them reach the last 16.

Cherries boss Andoni Iraola settled on Evanilson (pictured) as his replacement for the departed Dominic Solanke

Iraola (pictured) did everything he could to register Evanilson for their season opener against Forest

Solanke (pictured) departed Bournemouth for Tottenham last week for a staggering £65m

And the rush to try to get him registered for this game following his £40.2million move shows how quickly Iraola wants to fill the void left by Solanke.

‘Dom was brilliant for us and important in a lot of our offensive play last season,’ Iraola said.

‘The club didn’t have an easy job losing the best player, but they acted really well.

‘Evanilson is a different skill set but a great player. He is still young but has had many years playing for Porto and has played with his national team, so I hope he gives us the level that we know he has.’