AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is excited by the potential that has been assembled within the Cherries squad for the new season.
So far this summer AFC Bournemouth have signed midfielders Lewis Cook and Emerson Hyndman from Leeds and Fulham, along with attacker Jordon Ibe and Lys Mousset from Liverpool and Le Havre.
Utility player Nathan Ake has also joined from Chelsea on a season long loan, whilst rumours suggest the Cherries are also reportedly in the process of signing full back Brad Smith from Liverpool.
Howe has admitted that his work in the transfer market is not finished, with an obvious requirement to sign a central defender following the departures of former club captain Tommy Elphick and veteran defender Sylvain Distin.
Howe told the Daily Echo…
“I am really excited with the group we have. It is young, dynamic and different. I think there is a lot of potential there to get better.
“That is what we have always done traditionally. We have tried to bring in young talent and mould and work with them to make them better.
“That is no different, it is just the starting point at this level is probably the highest it has been in an AFC Bournemouth squad. It is a really talented squad and now we have got to get results to prove it…’
‘…The beauty of it from my perspective is to work with such young players and try to get the best out of them.’
Your Say…
Neil Dawson said…
While I agree that you can’t pass up an opportunity to sign certain players and it doesn’t mean we are not looking at centre halves, you can’t blame people for being nervous as there is a lot of déjà vue to last year.
As we were bringing in Atsu, Tomlin, Murray, Gradel , King those of us asking where the obviously needed centre half was were told ‘can’t pass up the opportunity to sign these players, don’t worry, one will arrive before Sept’. It never happened. In January as Afobe, Grabban and Iturbe arrived those of us asking where the obviously needed centre half was were told ‘can’t pass up the opportunity to sign these players don’t worry one will arrive before Feb’. It never happened.
Now, with Elphick and Distin gone I am sure you are right and we are looking for a centre half but you can’t blame people for being nervous. We certainly won’t have one that is as bedded in when we kick off as Mousset or Ibe, another 18m worth of attacking players to go with the 40m spent last year on attacking players. Zilch on a centre half…arguably our biggest need.
We know how to land a player above our stature as we did it with Ibe. Go above market value and early on the fee. We should have done this with a centre back. Otherwise it’s another very unbalanced summer for the team that as predicted by many on here conceded way too many soft goals last season…but we’re very pleasing on the eye going forwards. – Join the conversation here.
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