Slow change at Bournemouth

I was pondering one of the stats from the West Ham match that really underlined the fact that Bournemouth haven't found it easy to replace their starting 11 over the past four years, or perhaps haven't needed to. Six of the starting 11 against West Ham last weekend were among the starters to get Bournemouth's first Premier League win in 2015 at Upton Park.

Marc Pugh has been a fantastic professional for AFCB,
but now Bournemouth have to find more like him.

On a week when Marc Pugh has gone out on loan to Hull City, and talk of Harry Arter attracting interest from Watford and Aston Villa, you could be mistaken for believing that Bournemouth are as keen as any team to update their starting 11. The plan is to develop players as far as they can be taken at Bournemouth and that has led to long contracts being extended. Signing for Bournemouth tends to be a long-term decision for the club and whatever player is involved. It may just be one of the reasons why Bournemouth have managed to find their way to success in the Premier League.

But this January we have already seen three players come into the club and I'd say the pace of change for Bournemouth is staring to accelerate. We are seeing players who have been at the club for a while start to move on. Is this a good thing? When you see signings like Jefferson Lerma and David Brooks it is hard to see anything put positivity from the changes. But the club has been very good at releasing players who are reaching the end of their careers rather than being in their prime.

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Coastal Garden Buildings

Holding on to Bournemouth's star performers is something that Eddie Howe worries about every window. Yet, he has managed to keep many players loyal to Bournemouth and if he can continue to do that, Bournemouth will start to have a squad that can rival the very best in the Premier League.