The forward has completed his return to the south coast on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee from French club St Etienne.
He was twice loaned to Bournemouth during the 2007-08 season, when they were deducted 10 points by the Football League for entering administration and were relegated to League Two.
The turnaround since then has been dramatic
They host Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium in their first ever Premier League fixture on Saturday, with Gradel the seventh signing of a busy summer, and there is optimism that promising Cherries manager Eddie Howe can establish them in Europe's most competitive division.
"It feels a little bit strange because everything has changed," Gradel, 27, told Bournemouth's official club website.
"When I first arrived today I didn't recognise the club, but I am very happy to see it is all moving in a good direction.
"It's a good feeling
I am so happy
I had a great time here before so I'm very excited to be back.
"Not many people will understand why I came to Bournemouth
I had offers for more money and bigger clubs but in football you have to go where you will be happy."
Ivory Coast international Gradel, who worked with Howe while he was a coach at Leicester, also revealed that the manager's presence had a significant influence on his decision to return to Bournemouth, even though he could have been playing in the Champions League.
"There were other options, like to play Champions League football in Russia, but I decided to come here because I like Eddie a lot," he said
"He's always been there for me so it's a big honour to now come and play for him."
Source : PA
Source: PA