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Who do they want?
It’s hard to quite know what to make of Bournemouth this summer. Scott Parker has played down talk of significant investment, but there are areas of the squad that clearly require it. The forward line is the most obvious exception: Parker plays with one up front, Dominic Solanke has earned his shot at a full Premier League season as a starter and Kieffer Moore is a great Plan B, particularly away from home.
But the departures alone create a problem. In the second half of last season, Nat Phillips made a huge difference in defence and he has returned to Liverpool. Freddy Woodman was only a substitute goalkeeper, but has returned to Newcastle. Gary Cahill was signed on a free transfer and made 21 starts, but his contract will not be extended. Leif Davis and Todd Cantwell, less successful but still members of the promoted first-team squad, have also seen their loan deals end.
Signing Phillips on a permanent deal is probably a must, even if Liverpool stick to their £15m valuation. David Brooks may well play a prominent role after recovery from stage two Hodgson lymphoma and will be like a new signing. But Bournemouth still at least need a backup goalkeeper, another central defender and a full-back. They have three central midfielders – Lewis Cook, Jefferson Lerma, Philip Billing – who have experience of Premier League football, but all have been relegated before. Another addition would not go amiss.
The way Parker is speaking, it appears that Bournemouth may well at best have the same quality of squad that got promoted as he does in the Premier League. That need not be an issue – Brentford did it very well after winning the playoff final – but it does make next season rather daunting.
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Who might leave?
Other than the loanees returning to their parent clubs, it’s hard to envisage Parker countenancing the sale of any other members of the first-team squad. Solanke, Ryan Christie, Lloyd Kelly, Billing and Jaidon Anthony all started 36 or more league games last season, are all aged between 22 and 27 and will be vital if Bournemouth are to stay up. Given the loss of loan players and lack of transfer budget, this is not the summer to be selling your best assets.
Kelly is the most interesting one, given that central defenders are on the shopping list of plenty of established Premier League clubs. At 23, he is Bournemouth’s captain and was one of the best centre-backs in the Championship last season. The fact that he cost Bournemouth £13m in 2019 suggests that the offer would have to be sky high.
But others are a little more complicated, given their contract situations. Lerma is a key part of Parker’s midfield. Mark Travers is the first-choice goalkeeper. Anthony replaced Arnaut Danjuma more successfully than anybody thought possible last season. Jordan Zemura is another academy graduate who played an integral role in promotion. The contracts of all four expire next June. Bournemouth need to avoid the nightmare scenario where they are relegated and more than one of those players leaves on a free transfer.
What has been said?
“In an ideal world I’d spend £100million, but I can’t do that. In an ideal world we’d have a bigger training facility with more pitches, bigger pitches, where we can develop more. The reality is that it’s going to be a rough year. I’d like to think if I could spend £100million, I’d give it a right go, recruit and get it right” – Scott Parker, 10 May
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Completed in/outs
Ins: None
Outs: Gary Cahill (released)
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