What must have been one of the most drawn out transfer sagas for AFCB was finally ended on 1 July when Sylvain Distin formally signed a one year deal for the Cherries. It is apparent that we might not see too much of Sylvain on the pitch though if Eddie Howe's comments about Sylvain earmarked for the Ian Harte role of an experienced defender there to help the team are anything to go by.
That may mean that we only see Sylvain playing in may be half a dozen games next season and probably in cup games if Eddie Howe wants to change around the players during those games. Where he is likely to be heavily involved though is in match preparation on and on the training ground where Sylvain is likely to be at the centre of everything. Eddie Howe has a great trait of gleaning as much information out of everyone that he possibly can and with the amount of years that Sylvain has behind him in the Premier League you can be assured that Eddie will draw upon that to good effect.
It's not just in defence that Sylvain can be of use to the Cherries though. He will be up against players like Callum Wilson and Josh King on the training ground and he'll be able to tell them what movement they make is good and hard for a defender to contain and when he found it easy for him to rob them of the ball. It should help AFCB's forwards work harder and have to find ways of getting past. We'll see if Sylvain's thinking and positioning is quicker or not pretty soon. He'll be tough in the challenge too, because what is the point of going easy on players when they won't have it easy in the Premier League.
There is much to the Distin signing that makes it maybe just as valuable as bringing in Tyrone Mings. The fee may ask big things of Tyrone, but Distin will also have plenty to offer.
Over on Premier Talk I take a brief moment to reflect on what is happening to the sponsorship in the Premier League following AFCB's new Vitality announcement and something rather different going on at Spurs.
Please note that The Bell pub in Pokesdown is hosting a charity day this Saturday for UK Homes for Heroes - Twitter @DPCWood
This is a fan’s personal view of AFC Bournemouth from the outside looking in. It reports on the daily official activities reported by the club and comments made by individual fans on social media and fanbase websites. Life as an AFCB fan is never dull. As a life-long supporter of the Cherries, it is the friendliness of the staff, fans and my enthusiasm for the club that inspired me to write this blog.
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