Bournemouth finished ninth in the Premier League last season. What are the expectations for the Cherries heading into 2017-18?
INS: Nathan Ake (£19.38 million, Chelsea), Asmir Begovic (£9.78 million, Chelsea), Jermain Defoe (free, Sunderland), Connor Mahoney (free, Blackburn)
OUTS: Ryan Allsop, (loan, Blackpool), Lewis Grabban (loan, Sunderland)
THE STORY: Bournemouth have earned lots of plaudits since gaining promotion to the Premier League in 2015. The Cherries have exceeded expectations to twice finish comfortably clear of relegation.
More than where they have finished, manager Eddie Howe’s men have merited praise for their approach. Bournemouth play an expansive and attractive game, based on keeping the ball on the deck, passing between the lines and overloading markers in attacking areas.
Yet with increased fanfare comes greater expectation. Better things will be expected after the club invested heavily this summer.
Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and versatile defender Nathan Ake arrived from Chelsea. They were joined by prolific 34-year-old Jermain Defoe.
These signings mean Howe has added some star quality, relatively speaking, to his squad. The new faces join a group of unheralded players who have punched above their collective weight in recent seasons.
It’s not as if there isn’t talent in Bournemouth’s ranks already. Dan Gosling, Andrew Surman and Harry Arter are all comfortable on the ball in midfield.
Howe has also assembled a deep contingent of quality attackers. Benik Afobe knows where the net is, while Juinior Stanislas adds pace from wide areas.
Meanwhile, Ryan Fraser has proved to be an astute find from Aberdeen. The young Scot offers perceptive movement and a creative temperament from both wings.
One of last season’s most pleasant surprises was Joshua King. The Norwegian forward scored 16 league goals, per WhoScored.com.
Such is the Cherries’ strength in depth up top, Howe has even been talking about thinning the ranks. The manager has indicated he’s willing to sell both Max Gradel and the oft-injured Callum Wilson for the right price, per BBC Radio Solent, via BBC Sport.
Yet it’s at the back where things must improve. The Cherries shipped 67 goals last season, too many for a club with aspirations of playing in a European tournament.
It’s why Begovic and Ake have been brought on board. Both players are capable of inspiring a turnaround defensively for Howe’s team.
Ake, the club’s record signing, is a particularly intriguing addition. He played 10 league games for the Cherries on loan from Chelsea last season, and impressed enough to convince Antonio Conte to recall him in January.
The 22-year-old has played in midfield for the Netherlands, but he played all but one of his games for Bournemouth at center-back, and should remain there in 2017-18. The young Dutchman gives the team a player capable of playing out from the back and launching attacks from deep, while also providing some much-needed pace in the heart of defense.
A ball-playing center-back is essential in the forward-thinking and possession-based style Howe preaches. So are raiding full-backs, something the Cherries can count on, particularly in the form of Adam Smith. The 26-year-old has a terrific engine and uses the ball intelligently from wide areas. Those qualities recently earned Smith a new four-year deal.
Smith and Ake give Bournemouth two building blocks to underpin their defensive overhaul, but much will depend on how Begovic fares in place of Artur Boruc, who despite some impressive displays of shot-stopping talent, has been poor in possession and criminally slow off his line since arriving in the Premier League.
Begovic was easily the best backup goalkeeper in the league when Chelsea could call on him to deputize for Thibaut Courtois. Now, though, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international must prove he can consistently save a less talented team points.
The ceiling for Bournemouth is a push for the top seven. It will take something quite special from Howe’s side to overhaul Everton, let alone any of the sides that finished above them last season, but they’re a match for any other side in the division. Having firmly established their top-flight status, now is the time for the Cherries to set their sights a little higher.
KEY PLAYERS: He may be in the winter of his career, but there’s a reason Bournemouth still handed Defoe a contract set to run three years. The veteran goal-getter has proved he hasn’t lost his scoring touch in England’s top flight.
Defoe scored 15 times last season, despite leading the line for relegation-doomed Sunderland, per WhoScored.com. While he’s not as quick as he was, Defoe’s movement off the ball remains among the smartest and most varied in the division.
He’s particularly adept at working every part of the line and darting between the full-back and center-back. Defoe gets free because he is sudden with his runs, a trait Bournemouth’s host of stylish passers will surely exploit.
Unlike last season, Defoe is playing in a team more capable of finding his runs in the final third. The striker’s career-long penchant for shooting on the turn will convert through passes from Surman, Arter and Co. into assists and goals.
Defoe will give Bournemouth a finisher efficient enough to turn their pretty possession into goals and points against the league’s bigger teams.
The aging scorer has ample motivation to succeed. Defoe has already set a lofty target, per Daniel Sheldon of the Daily Mirror:
"It’s only normal to have one eye on the World Cup.Every English player will want to get in to that squad but it’s based on merit, so you’ll have to play well for your club.I’ll focus on doing that and then if I get the opportunity to play in the World Cup again, it would be a dream."
If Defoe has the kind of year to merit a place in the Three Lions’ squad for 2018, it will mean Bournemouth enjoy a successful season.
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THE MANAGER: Bournemouth’s man in the dugout has garnered a solid reputation as one of the brightest young coaches in the division. The 39-year-old has impressed many by the way he has stayed faithful to an approach based on attacking soccer that’s pleasing on the eye.
Howe believes in letting his players express themselves in possession. His show of faith has allowed midfielders such as Arter and Surman to make tremendous strides, both technically and in terms of confidence.
Improving his players while relying on an expansive game, despite a lack of star power, has generated buzz Howe is set for bigger things. He’s been tipped to eventually succeed Arsene Wenger at Arsenal by David Woods of the Daily Star.
Howe’s case to replace an icon at one of England’s elite clubs will be strengthened if he continues to guide the Cherries to greater heights.
BEST CASE: Howe’s new signings all thrive and prove the collective catalyst for an unlikely finish in the European places.
WORST CASE: Defoe’s goals dry up, while Begovic and Ake fail to bolster the defense sufficiently, leaving the Cherries in a relegation battle.