Simon Francis signed a one year extension yesterday at AFCB. This might be somewhat unexpected as he still had a year to run on his contract, but it is a sign that Eddie Howe wants to keep his senior players and isn't ready to cast them aside. It also stops any thoughts of not being a prime choice for a centre-back position next season.
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| Simon Francis is set to be an important pillar at AFCB for at least the next two seasons. |
Francis missed the last game of the season when AFCB won without him at Burnley. This was a big achievement for the side, as it was the first time the team won without Simon at this level, but it doesn't look like he'll be missing out in future big results. More importantly, I feel the new contract underlines his leadership status in the team and Eddie likes to reward players that have done everything they can to earn the club points during a season.
So if Francis is going to be a main player going forward it does put pressure on others who are competing for a place in the defence. Some of them may have been wondering if Francis would start to play a few less games. That has been dismissed.
But Bournemouth still have to think about how they can reduce the 61 goal total that went in against them last season. Francis could say that by him moving to the centre-back position we have seen a reduction in AFCB's third Premier League season. How much further he can help bring that number down and how fast is going to be a big factor in where AFCB finish in the next campaign. If Francis wants European football then he knows the team has to get nearer a record like Burnley had and it will be a massive leap to get down to conceding only 39 goals. If Francis wants some motivation for next season, there you have it.
In other news, Benik Afobe looks set to leave for Wolves in a £12.5m deal for AFCB to cash in on. Meanwhile, Jay Rodriguez at WBA is attracting attention from AFCB.
If you missed Cherry Chimes' appearance on TalkSport's SportsBar on Tuesday this week go to CherryChimes on a PC, Mac or Tablet to view the full site and side bar where the audio is displayed. If you hear a meow half way through it was my cat!
Cherry Chimes' June Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out on Friday with special story - Are we becoming complacent about Premier League existence?
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