Saturday 8 August 2015 10:17, UK
All the transfer news, statistics, pundit views and odds ahead of Bournemouth's 2015/16 season.
Position last season: 1st (Championship)
Sky Bet title odds: 5000/1
Ins: Artur Boruc (Southampton), Adam Federici (Reading), Joshua King (Blackburn), Christian Atsu (Chelsea), Tyrone Mings (Ipswich), Sylvain Distin (Everton)
Outs: Ian Harte, Darryl Flavahan, Mohamed Coulibaly, Joe Partington, Miles Addison (all released), Ryan Fraser (Ipswich), Brett Pitman (Ipswich), Jayden Stockley (Portsmouth), Josh McQuoid (Luton)
Overview
It is just six years since Bournemouth almost fell out of the Football League, and this year they are bidding to ensure their remarkable rise to the top flight is not just a flash in the pan.
Eddie Howe has vowed to keep the core of last year’s promotion-winning side together, but there have been notable additions. The Cherries spent a record £8m to sign highly-rated defender Tyrone Mings from Ipswich Town, Artur Boruc and Sylvain Distin have joined permanently to add experience, and Chelsea winger Christian Atsu has brought pace on the flanks.
Bournemouth achieved promotion last season playing slick passing football and scoring more goals than any other side, but the Premier League presents a very different challenge. Can they embrace their underdogs tag and defy their doubters? Howe knows it won’t be easy. “We are well aware of what is in store,” he says. “It’s going to be a huge test of everyone’s resilience and ability.”
Ray Parlour's view: "No one ever gave them a chance to go up last season, but Eddie Howe has done a brilliant job. Those players will be so excited about playing the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, and that’s what it’s all about. It will be a tough season, and I think they expect that, but certainly they will give it their best shot. We want to see teams like that stay up, but it’s going to be very difficult."
Ray Parlour's one to watch: "It could be a good season for Callum Wilson. What an opportunity for him to play against the best players. He’s a player I was impressed by last season."
Opta stats
- Bournemouth scored 115 goals in all competitions last season, more than any other Championship team.
- Callum Wilson has scored 20+ goals in each of his last two seasons in the Football League.
- Bournemouth have won their last two opening day fixtures in league competition, after managing just one victory in their previous 13 (D6 L6).
