Football Season Guide

Last season proved to be a historic one for Bournemouth as they once again defied expectations to finish in the top half of the Premier League table for the first time in their history. While it was not exactly all smooth sailing for Bournemouth and Eddie Howe, they stuck to their principles and finished in ninth place, well clear of the relegation battle that they were expected to be involved in. Howe will be looking for a repeat of their excellent season in the upcoming campaign and the Bournemouth coach has been busy plugging the gaps in his squad. Nathan Ake has been their biggest outlay so far and, after the defender impressed in his short loan stint last season, Howe managed to sign him on a permanent move after failing to break into the Chelsea first team. Asmir Begovic will be replacing the error prone Artur Boruc as the first choice keeper while Jermain Defoe will offer a more reliable option in the attack for Howe who will be without Callum Wilson in the opening month of the campaign. There is very little that Bournemouth will need to change heading into the new season. However, with teams reportedly interested in a couple of their players, Howe will be aware that retaining the core of the squad will be crucial for their fortunes this term. There are a couple of question marks with regards to the depth of the squad, especially in the centre of the midfield where Lewis Cook and Dan Gosling are clearly at a level below the first choice pairing of Harry Arter and Andrew Surman. Jordan Ibe had started last season as the first choice on the right flank but failed to score a goal or bag an assist and was pushed out by the good form of Junior Stanislas. Bournemouth do need a couple more bodies in the squad but they will be heading into the new campaign confident of once again upsetting the odds.