Dealing with one of the most injury plagued squads in the Premier League this season has seemingly forced Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe to make a couple of timely additions to his side. But has enough been done to keep the Cherries out of the drop zone come May?
Who arrived?
Juan Iturbe
Well in advance of January there were murmurs of Juan Iturbe joining up with Bournemouth and as soon as the window opened it seemed the deal had already been struck. Joining from Italian heavyweights AS Roma on a six-month loan, Iturbe had long been on the radar of the world’s media pundits as a young, agile winger, with a low center of gravity and a devastating turn of pace.
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Howe has been struggling to fill the spots on his team sheet, especially when it comes to wingers, with Max Gradel, Marc Pugh, Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu all succumbing to injury over the course of the season so far. If Iturbe can live up to the expectation, he may well be vital in the push for survival this season.
Think of him as a player that Bournemouth could not have afforded two seasons ago and can only really afford now, under the circumstances of a loan agreement – though there is speculation that the Cherries will have the option to buy at the end of the season.
Benik Afobe
Benik Afobe is arguably one of most touted players from the English youth system in recent history. Coming up through the ranks of Arsenal’s famed youth academy, Afobe brings with him all the potential needed to succeed in the Premier League. The flip side to that is he also brings with him pressure enough to fail.
The 22-year-old was signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a club record fee of £10 million, after a calendar year with the club that saw him score 22 goals in 40 appearances.
A succession of loans all over England has finally seen Afobe land himself a role in the country’s top-flight, now it is just a matter of whether or not he can replicate his Wolves form against the country’s best.
The early signs look good for Afobe and Howe alike, with the English Youth International having already scored twice in three Premier League appearances for the Cherries.
Lewis Grabban
Howe’s third signing comes in the form of Lewis Grabban. Now returning to Bournemouth, the 28 year-old has scored 12 goals during his time at Norwich City, though has never managed to tie down a first team spot ahead of Cameron Jerome and Dieumerci Mbokani.
The England-born Jamaica International moves from Norwich for a fee believed to be in the region of £8 million – a price that some believe may be a bit excessive given the player’s ability and his place in the pecking order of strikers at the club.
The earlier mentioned Afobe ties down the starting spot, while the evergreen Glenn Murray seems to be Howe’s next-best-thing coming off the bench, making Grabban a third choice talent. When fit, Callum Wilson is the uncontested starting striker, meaning in a couple months Grabban will likely be the fourth choice option in a Bournemouth side that only plays with a single forward.
Howe leapt to the defense of his mid-season spending, telling the media, “I take every penny we spend very seriously as well as the responsibility which comes with that, and try to make good decisions for the football club, not just for now, but for the long term.”
“It is important that we look beyond this season as it is not just about the here and now, and hopefully we get the major decisions right.”
A measured response from the Bournemouth manager, but not really one that explains the acquisition of a 28-year-old, fourth string striker for a fee nearing club-record territory. It is possible that Howe is remembering the Grabban that scored 35 goals in 87 appearances during his last stint at the club.
Rhoys Wiggings
Bournemouth’s deadline day flurry came in the form of Rhoys Wiggins. The 28-year-old left-back was signed on a two-and-a-half-year deal, for a fee in the region of £250,000. Rhoys himself did not expect the attention he received from the Premier League club, telling the media:
“I was surprised by the interest… But Eddie Howe’s a good manager and knows what I’m capable of”.
What makes this deal unique is the fact that it will be the fourth time that Wiggins has signed for AFC Bournemouth (twice before on loan and once before for a fee). With Wiggins and Grabban both back on the South oast, it seems that with Bournemouth’s new found financial pull, Howe’s first order of business is to bring back players that he may of reluctantly parted ways with in the past.
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Who Departed?
Howe has managed to keep his promotion-winning side largely intact through two transfer windows now, with the only notable departure being Yann Kermorgant.
The Frenchman packed his bags for Reading football club mid-way through the window, for a fee in the region of £500,000. The 34-year-old has appeared to be behind the tempo of the Premier League and having only managed to play a handful of minutes this season, also recording zero goals so far, a change of scenery has been on the cards for a while.
Kermorgant now joins up with a Reading side that is struggling for form, they sit in 15th position on the Championship table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone and 20 points away from auto-promotion to the Premier League.
Who can help the team?
Choices on the transfer market have made it apparent that Howe’s main priority is goal-getting, despite perceived defensive frailties at the back – remembering only three other clubs have conceded more goals in the Premier League this year.
If goals are what Howe wants, then it is likely that goals is what he is going to get. Afobe has already hit the ground running with a pair to his name and Iturbe has the ability to be the most dangerous player in the team if he settles in.
Overall Rating
More than goals, Howe needed options and he has got that now as well. No more playing Joshua King in an out-and-out striker role or playing Eunan O’Kane in the ‘No.10’ role. What the Bournemouth manager has done is give himself the chance to select a starting team based on form and not just availability/fitness.
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