It was a very busy and successful deadline day for AFC Bournemouth as they introduced five new signings to the Vitality. Here is what each player will offer to Scott Parker's squad.
On the eve of January 31st, it was becoming increasingly clear that AFC Bournemouth were due a busy deadline day, yet it is doubtful that fans across the club would expect five top signings. It must be said, it was a very impressive 24 hours for the Cherries as they were swift in their business to secure signings that can all play a crucial role in aiding promotion back to the Premier League.
The turbulent form of Bournemouth meant that January became a very significant month although this may not have been the case at the point of achieving a 16 unbeaten league streak. However, a mixture of injuries and opponents being able to work out the Cherries meant that reinforcements in quality, competition and variation were a must. The club and Parker identified that. They then worked tirelessly to ensure resources were focused on putting the club back on good track for automatic promotion. Each signing established across all tiers of the English Football League (EFL), showing that the club were now adding serious depth to the squad which has proved to be a downfall for the Cherries so far.
On what was a chaotic day at the Vitality, it only seems appropriate to conduct this article in chronological order to that of when the Bournemouth media team made the announcements.
Freddie Woodman
The first to pen to paper was 24-year-old goalkeeper Freddie Woodman who signed on loan until the end of the season from Newcastle United.
After coming through the ranks at Crystal Palace’s academy, he arrived at St James’ Park in 2014.
The Englishman comes into the squad as a player with a lot of experience in the EFL Championship. Prior to this campaign, Woodman gained invaluable experience at Swansea City for two seasons as they reached the play-offs on both occasions. During his time at the Welsh side Woodman made 88 appearances in which 52 of them came last season. Of those 52 he kept 22 clean sheets as they reached the play-off final. To achieve that number of clean sheets in a Championship season cannot be understated and shows the quality Woodman possesses.
A notable achievement for the new goalkeeper will be from his time at the u20’s World Cup in 2017 where he achieved the golden glove award. He is now also able to boast Premier League experience after starting Newcastle’s first five games this season before being hit with a hip injury.
Mark Travers has been an outstanding replacement in goal following Asmir Begovic’s departure last summer, but as with any position, strong competition is needed. Woodman has been on the Cherries radar since last summer’s window but were unable to finalise a deal. Orjan Nyland was signed, but his time came to end yesterday after the Cherries decided to release the Norwegian after making only three appearances.
A proven player, Woodman will be a great addition to the goalkeeping team to keep Travers on his toes, but to also take the edge off too for the Irishman. The goalkeeping position is known to be a stressful area of the pitch, and at times after a bad game or two, a break is what is needed as so much scrutiny can be placed on the singular player. Travers has not had a period such as that this season to his credit, but if that time does come Woodman provides an excellent option to fill in.
Nathaniel Phillips
Signing on loan until the end of the season from Liverpool, Nathaniel Phillips was the second player to be welcomed at the Vitality Stadium.
The 24-year-old will experience a spell away from Merseyside in England for the first time, with his first loan being at German club VfB Stuttgart in 2019-20; making 22 appearances. Phillips first broke through into Jurgen Klopp’s squad in the 2018-19 season and has since made 17 appearances for the club. Fierce competition from the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez meant that it is very difficult to gain a foothold in the team, hence why the player was keen for a move away.
A lot is to be known about the player despite few minutes, as his performances were impressive when featuring for the reds. Parker has stated a number of times that a part of his team’s game that he wants to see is toughness and aggression which is so important in a strong Championship side. We have certainly seen that during various matches when the intensity levels are high during the game, but on the contrary Parker has been disappointed at different points in the season with the lack of these elements.
The head coach knows he has that in Phillips. Incredibly strong in his aerial ability, Phillips rarely loses out on a competed header and that will prove invaluable. Several times we have seen Bournemouth pinned back into their own box during the back end of games and Phillips’ aerial dominance will come very handy. And despite having the likes of Gary Cahill and Lloyd Kelly, very few corners are scored by the Cherries. Parker is aware that more avenues of goal scoring opportunities need to be opened and Phillips provides a chance to start bagging more goals from set-pieces which can win games despite perhaps not playing well.
As any good centre back is, Phillips is aggressive in his tackles and interceptions. He is able to spot early the incoming balls into a player’s feet or where their next movement is and retain the ball. This front foot aggression will be important in games where the Cherries are experiencing less of the ball.
The defence has been riffed with injuries on occasion through the season. As good as Cahill is, at this point in his career it is unrealistic to expect him to play week in, week out. Now with Chris Mepham also picking up a hamstring injury, defensive reinforcements were needed. He adds to the incredible depth Parker now has in his squad, and provides the ability to switch to a three at the back, if necessary, although this seems to be an unlikely thing the head coach will do often.
Kieffer Moore
The third to be signed was striker Kiefer Moore as he sealed a 3.5-year deal. It is reported the fee was in the region of £3.5 million from Welsh side Cardiff City.
Starting his career in non-league football at Dorset’s very own Dorchester Town, Moore has done his fair amount of travelling across the EFL with spells at Forest Green Rovers, Torquay, Ipswich, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Wigan before finally reaching Cardiff in the 2020 summer window.
The striker would become more widely known following his performances for Wales in the recent Euros. With impressive performances, Moore helped Wales into the round of 16 in a group where they were the favourites to not get out, including a memorable headed equaliser against Switzerland.
Moore is a very interesting addition to the team, but one that was a must. There is no question as to what aspects of the game Moore thrives in. Strong in the air. Hold up play near perfect. Relentless in his aggression and pressing. But he has the club’s top goal scorer Dominic Solanke to compete with.
As much as the idea of playing for a club nearing to the Premier League would have been a factor, it is hard to imagine Moore would have signed a 3.5-year deal to simply be a back up or come on in the last few minutes of games. The ability to bring on an impact substitution has been critically missing for Parker. But this signing may be the clearest indication that the head coach is now thinking about a plan B when at times plan A is not working. Parker has shown his reluctance to revert to a plan B but it seems clear that he has realised he must have the option.
This could be to play Solanke and Moore as a pair either in a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2. However, it is unlikely Parker will be looking to switch the formation as his patterns of play in the 4-1-2-3 are so very crucial to how he wants his team to attack. But this style of football at times has become too rigid and predictable. Moore provides an excellent option to play more direct in games where the Cherries aren’t asserting meaningful dominance.
A proven goal scorer in the Championship having bagged 20 in last year’s campaign, Moore provides another threat to take much of the responsibility off of Solanke. Solanke has been excellent this season, but when at times he has not been firing, there are very few other goalscoring options in the team. These occasions have cost Bournemouth valuable points and, in these situations, Moore is the player to make an impact.
Siriki Dembele
After eventually forcing a move away from Peterborough United, Siriki Dembele became the fourth player to be announced by Bournemouth having signed a 3.5-year deal. The deal is understood to be in the region of £1.5 million.
Originally from the Ivory Coast, Dembele had a very impressive season as Peterborough achieved automatic promotion in the last campaign. Attacking partner Jonson Clarke Harris would finish as the league’s top scorer, but Dembele was pivotal to both Harris’ and the team’s performances. He finished the season on 12 goals and also reached double figures for assists. As a wide player in League One, that is impressive.
The 25-year-old attacker provides a lot of excitement as he adds to the depth and competition to the forward roles. Although able to play in a more central role, Parker will be using him as a wide player. His ability to play with both feet makes him available to play on either side, but is likely to be seen as competition for Ryan Christie on the right. And it will be strong competition.
Christie joined on deadline day in the summer, and has proved to be a valuable addition. However his output hasn't been as expected, having only accumulated six goal contributions in 23 appearances. The Scotsman will continue to prove crucial as he has brought creativity and a work hard attitude to the squad, but these attacking signings display that Parker is not happy with the overall spread of goals. Dembele joins with four goals better then Christie, and will provide strong competiton.
With pace and a mesmerizing ability of intricate dribbling, Dembele is a player that can spark creativity out of nothing. He is able to pick the ball up in good spaces in between the lines or in behind the defence, and really drive with the ball. Taking on players does not seem to be a problem for him and it can be expected he will bring an extra bit of flair that can be missing at times. On occasion Bournemouth can look to be out of ideas, or be brave enough in their attacking play. Dembele does not fear in driving with the ball and looking to create something out of nothing.
The 25-year-old is clearly still a player developing as he continues to adjust to the new demands of Championship football, but his natural abilities will shine in a team with a more talented pool of players. His pace and technical skill will add that extra dimension to Bournemouth’s game and will prove to be an excellent addition to the forward line.
Todd Cantwell
With little over an hour to go until the end of the January window, Bournemouth officially announced Todd Cantwell as the fifth and final signing of the day. The 23-year-old sealed a loan deal until the end of the season from Premier League side Norwich.
Cantwell is known to be a top talent and proved himself so in last season’s Championship campaign as he aided Norwich to the number one spot with 13 goal contributions. Across the top two English divisions he has accumulated 114 appearances for the Canaries and joins the Cherries with plenty of experience despite being a young player.
Having the ability to play either on the left or right, Cantwell is another addition brought in by the Cherries due to his creativity and technical ability to add that further depth. Similar to that of the playing style of David Brooks, who is currently absent as a result a cancer diagnosis, Cantwell has the technical ability to threaten defences. Whether that is with a piece of skill, an eye for a penetrating pass or intricate link up play, Cantwell has a high attacking IQ that allows him to pick up the ball in very good spaces and be effective.
Experience will tell us that Cantwell likes the left side of the pitch, and will be competing with Jaidon Anthony for the left wing spot. Anthony has had a very good breakthrough season, but at only 22 himself, he is still developing. The additions of Jamal Lowe and Morgan Rogers have failed to make an impact on the team when called upon to the left-wing position in place of Anthony, and it is that depth that has let the team down. Cantwell is a player that should not take time to adapt. As with Christie, it can be expected that Cantwell will play mostly with ball at feet and dropping into the midfield areas in order to pick the ball up. The depth in the wide areas after the additions of Cantwell and Dembele are now very strong and provide multiple goal threats across the pitch.