AFC Bournemouth went into deadline day with two new players all but wrapped up, making it six new additions over the course of January.
All the Dean Court faithful had to do was sit back and be patient as the medicals and relevant paperwork were completed and all of that was concluded and the deals formally announced with over an hour of the deadline still remaining.
The first to be announced was for Ukrainian centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi, who joins from Dynamo Kiev in a deal reportedly worth £24 million.
The 20-year-old is a product of the youth system at Dynamo Kiev, Zabarnyi is 6ft 2″ and has made 70 appearances for the club helping his side to win the Ukrainian Premier League, Ukrainian Cup and Ukrainian Super Cup.
He has also made nine appearances in UEFA Champions League and four appearances in UEFA Europa League.
On the international stage, following his debut in October 2020, he has made 24 appearances and could be heavily involved in their 2024 UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign which begins in March at Wembley against England.
Zabarnyi has signed a five-and-a-half-year at Dean Court, AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake told afcb.co.uk…
“We are absolutely delighted to bring Illia to the club and he arrives with a burgeoning CV.
“Despite only being 20, he has played at the highest level for club and country and has established himself as one of the most sought-after young defenders in the world.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing him continue his development with us and know he will be a valued and important member of our squad.”
#️⃣2️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/jjJDab3xFp
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) January 31, 2023
Shortly afterwards, 22-year-old Ivory Coast international Hamed Traore was announced on a loan deal from Italian side Sassuolo, which will be made permanent at the end of the season.
That deal will potentially be worth in the region of £ 21 million. With Traore signing personal terms on a deal until the summer of 2028.
AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake told afcb.co.uk…
“Hamed is another exciting prospect and we are delighted to have secured his services.
“He is young, ambitious and one of the hottest talents from Serie A. He fits the profile of the type of player we are looking to recruit and will significantly add to our creative resources.
“After Bill Foley had completed his takeover of the club last month, he said he would be investing in the squad and has certainly done so.
“Hamed’s arrival takes to six the number of new signings we have made this month and the squad is looking strong for the second half of the season.”
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Hamed Traorè has become Bournemouth's sixth signing of the window. It is an initial loan, which will become permanent in the summer! pic.twitter.com/RPw1C3kzCo
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 31, 2023
The outgoings saw movements for three players.
Gavin Kilkenny had his loan spell with Stoke City cancelled and made the move down to Charlton Athletic in League One.
In July, the 22-year-old who had played a bit-part role in the Cherries promotion from the Championship last season made the move to Stoke City to gain more experience from first-team action and regular football, in the second tier of English football.
Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out for him with 3 Championship appearances totalling 94 minutes of football and hasn’t featured since the end of August.
🥁 Introducing our newest Addick…
✍️ Welcome, @gavkilkenny10! 👊
🔴⚪️ #cafc
— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) January 31, 2023
Ironically, Kilkenny’s departure from Stoke City opened up the Championship clubs midfield for a new addition and that was taken by another AFC Bournemouth player in the form of Ben Pearson.
With the latest additions to the Cherries side, somewhat bloating AFC Bournemouth head coach Gary O’Neil’s squad it meant that two players would have to be culled from the 25-man squad listed with the Premier League.
This opened up a chance for Ben Pearson, who joined the club two years ago, to leave on loan.
The 28-year-old has made 55 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries, including 22 league starts, but hasn’t started a Premier League game since August.
👋 We're delighted to announce the signing of Ben Pearson on loan until the end of the season.
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) February 1, 2023
That meant that one more player had to head for the exit door and that fell on one of former head coach Scott Parker’s January transfer window signings from last year, Siriki Dembele.
The 26-year-old joined the Cherries 12 months ago from Peterborough United for a reported £1.5million fee.
Dembele has made 22 appearances for the club, but only four of those were starts, all coming in the Championship.
He has joined French side Auxerre until the end of the current Ligue 1 campaign.
🖊️ Siriki Dembélé arrive à l’@AJA 🆕
L’ailier de 26 ans est prêté par @afcbournemouth, pensionnaire de Premier League, jusqu’à la fin de la saison. Il portera le n°77.
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢 ! 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/dCtH1Y09bj
— AJ Auxerre (@AJA) January 31, 2023
Your say…
American_Cherry said on Zabarnyi…
Wow. Never seen him play but he seems to be quite the young talent just going by a quick look around the net.49 appearances for Kyiv and already 20 plus for Ukraine and still only 19 years old.
Sounds exciting.I think Spurs had a bid rejected last year of around 25 and on other Prem teams radar also. Could be quite the coup. – To join the conversation, click here.
thegazzyb said on Pearson…
Struggling to understand that decision, particularly since Pearson also seems to be really popular with the other squad members. Surely Stanislas is a waste of a squad place for the remaining games? A bizarre decision in my opinion.
Mdl added on Pearson…
Stanislas definitely seems a risky/unnecessary choice for a squad place.
Even if he does stay fit for the rest of the season, where does he fit in now, with Anthony/Traore/Ouattara/Christie/Tavernier, even Semenyo who’s often played wide, it’s not like we’re short on wide options?
Centrally we are short. Can only assume Lewis Cook’s injury isn’t long-term, but even with him available we’re light. – To join the conversation, click here.
thegazzyb said on Dembele…
Glad for him, hope he becomes a regular starter and makes a name for himself. His opportunities here were about to become even more limited and he definitely needs more opportunities to show what he can do.
Good luck Siriki, hope you come back with an improved reputation ! – To join the conversation, click here.
