Eddie Howe will be hoping to continue his stellar job at AFC Bournemouth as they continue their stay in the Premier League. They have been in the top division since the 2015/16 season and have played exciting football under Howe’s philosophy, doing so with one of the smaller budgets in the league.
Perhaps now though coming into their fourth season in the Premier League, they will be trying to break into the top ten. Last season they finished on 45 points which was 11 clear off 18th place Cardiff – a comfortable season all in all saw players like Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser attract attention from bigger clubs due to their exceptional campaigns with Wilson being called up to England’s Nation League squad.
Although last season was Bournemouth’s lowest Premier League finish, they never looked at risk of being dragged into a relegation battle and have consistently hit the plus 40 point mark every season. Now after a busy transfer window, Howe will be hoping he can crack the top ten once more despite the competition being tougher than ever.
Transfers and squad improvements
Bournemouth have been very active this summer, adding talent all around the squad. They have welcomed four players to the South Coast spending around £46 million on their arrivals and are still looking to bolster their squad.
The Cherries have signed two defenders, a midfielder and a winger, all of whom are under the age of 23 which shows how much faith Howe has in a squad full of talented youngsters.
Philip Billing and Arnaut Danjuma will provide plenty going forward in a side that like to play slick passing football when they can – combined the pair were involved in 12 goals in 50 games last season. Billing scored twice with relegated Huddersfield and Danjuma scored six and assisted four times. If both can produce a similar amount of goals between them then they are likely to push their new side further up the table this season.
They have also signed defenders Lloyd Kelly and Jack Stacey who although are young have impressed at senior levels. These new signings are likely to get plenty of game time; particularly Kelly who could be replacing the injured Charlie Daniels. Both Billing and Danjuma may be thrown into the squad quicker than anticipated as Howe’s midfield has also been depleted by injuries – Dan Gosling has had hip surgery which rules him out for a significant time period and last seasons standout player David Brooks has been sidelined for three months with an ankle injury.
These four signings show Bournemouth’s intent for the season, strengthening all around the squad without losing any key players despite interest from big clubs in some of their key players. If they can hold out for the remainder of the transfer window and maintain form despite a growing injury list, they will have the strongest squad they have had since being promoted to the Premier League.
Pre-season
The Cherries have won three, drawn one and lost two of their pre-season fixtures. Most impressively they beat Lyon 3-0 in their most recent outing and look ready for their first game when they host Premier League newcomers, Sheffield United.
Although Howe may have a difficult squad selection with injured players meaning they may not be at their strongest on the opening day, the English manager will still believe that his squad can ruin Sheffield United’s return to the big time.
Strengths and weaknesses
One of Howe’s sides biggest strengths is that they are a young and strong team; any game against Bournemouth is always going to require 100% focus from their opponents. His team also know how to find the back of the net and were involved in plenty of goal fests last season. Howe’s young side also scored more than three goals in nine separate games last season showing just how threatening they can be when going forward.
Howe has also instilled a mentality that keeps his players heads up no matter what. Last season they came from behind to earn a result five times, showing how they can never be ruled out of games. Count Bournemouth out at your peril as they truly are a team that never says never.
However, Bournemouth did struggle to consistently perform and were on the receiving end of some big score lines themselves last season, including 5-0 and 5-3 losses to Spurs and Crystal Palace, as well as a 4-0 thumping from Burnley. This is something Howe needs to rectify as last season they conceded 70 goals, which was the third-most in the league. In fact, in nine of their 19 losses last season they conceded 36 goals, an average of four goals a game. Howe will be hoping that his side can keep a much tighter ship next season and end it with a goal difference closer to zero.
Howe does seem to be aware of these problems however, and the new signings look like they can provide defensive stability.
Key Players
The Cherries forward line is perhaps their most threatening quality with the likes of Fraser, Wilson and Jordan Ibe forming the attack. Wilson bagged 14 Premier League goals last season whilst Fraser was involved in 21 goals, assisting seven of those. Joshua King has also not been shy of finding the net and when that attack is in full swing they can take any team in the division. They must maintain the standards that they did last season if they are to better their finish but also have significant work to do at the back.
Predicted finish – 13th
This season’s teams have improved a lot in the transfer market, as have Bournemouth but there are a few teams in that mid-table competition that have the slight edge over the Cherries. Because of this, Bournemouth will finish around a similar place to last season but still be an entertaining team as they always are.
Final thoughts
Bournemouth are a young, talented and always entertaining team but it’s perhaps that lack of experience that leads to their inconsistencies in the league. The new signings have been good ones, but perhaps the time to challenge for Europa League places are in a few years once they have come of age.
