AFC Bournemouth have dropped right-back Alex Jimenez from their matchday squad while the club investigates posts circulating on social media, and the 21-year-old will not feature in Saturday's Premier League fixture against Fulham.
In a brief statement released on Friday, the club said: "AFC Bournemouth are aware of posts circulating on social media involving right-back, Alex Jimenez." The club added: "The club understand the seriousness of the matter and it is currently being investigated."
Bournemouth made the immediate sporting decision to omit Jimenez from the squad, saying: "As a result, Alex will not be included in the squad for tomorrow's Premier League game against Fulham and the club will be making no further comment at this time." Jimenez has made 32 appearances across the season and scored once, his goal coming in Bournemouth's 3-2 home win against Liverpool.
Jimenez, a Spanish right-back, arrived at Bournemouth from AC Milan last summer on loan before signing permanently in February on a deal running until 2031. According to reporting by TribalFootball, screenshots and videos have been leaked of an alleged conversation involving Jimenez and a 15-year-old.
TribalFootball quoted two lines said to be from the messages: "I like smaller girls" and "I’ve never been with a 15 year old girl." The same report said Jimenez has played in every Premier League match for Bournemouth since November and started all but one of those matches, underscoring the sudden nature of his exclusion.
The timing matters. Bournemouth sit sixth in the Premier League with three games to play, and Jimenez has been a regular presence in the side this season. His abrupt removal from the squad comes on the eve of a match that could shape the club's final league position.
There is immediate friction between the club's public reticence and the specifics circulating online. Bournemouth has described the matter as under investigation and declined further comment, while the online material reported by TribalFootball gives readers a clearer sense of why the club treated the posts seriously enough to act before Saturday's kickoff.
A broadcaster has attempted to contact representatives of Jimenez for comment, but the club's statement is the only official response so far. Bournemouth have limited their public remarks to the short statement released on Friday and will not say more at this stage.
The next steps are procedural and consequential: the club has signalled an internal inquiry by removing Jimenez from the squad, and supporters will watch whether the investigation affects selection for the remaining fixtures. For a player who signed permanently in February and has been a near-constant in the team since November, the immediate outcome is clear — he will not play tomorrow — but the longer-term impact on his place in the squad and on Bournemouth's season is unresolved.
With Bournemouth in sixth place and three games to play, the single pressing question is this: can the club sustain its position without Jimenez in the side while the investigation proceeds?
