2017/18 Premier League Preview – Bournemouth
Having won promotion to the Premier League in 2014/15 by winning the Championship title, many onlookers thought Bournemouth would be relegated at the first attempt.
In the 2015/16 season it looked as though those who predicted Bournemouth would be relegated were going to be proven correct. The Cherries struggled and with injures to some key players it appeared they would do down.
However, following a late equaliser at home against Everton, Bournemouth went on to beat Chelsea and Manchester United before finishing 16th in the Premier League. Eddie Howe continued to develop his team and last season proved to be even better down on the south coast.
Bournemouth finished the 2016/17 Premier League season in 9th place, which was the best league finish in their history. They briefly flirted with 16th place towards the end of the season but a run of three wins and two draws was enough to push them up the table and into a safe position.
The question is, where does Howe take Bournemouth this coming season?
The priority must be to avoid relegation and odds of 11/2 for Bournemouth to be relegated suggest they should be OK. At best odds of 1/7 to stay up, it appears those in the know consider Bournemouth to be a solid midtable team and it’s hard to argue with that.
One look at their transfer business this summer and Bournemouth have become stronger, not weaker.
The signing of Asmir Begovic from Chelsea will improve Bournemouth defensively. The Bosnian international is a good Premier League goalkeeper and could easily command a place in many other Premier League teams. Nathan Ake is another good signing from Chelsea and the defender was missed when he went back to Stamford Bridge following his loan spell last season.
However, the one transfer which has really captured the imagination at the Vitality Stadium is the arrival of Jermaine Defoe from Sunderland. Despite being 34 years old, the former England international has proven his worth in the Premier League at Sunderland in recent years and will guarantee goals for Bournemouth. It is highly unlikely Defoe will finish as the Premier League’s top scorer, as his odds of 50/1 suggest but he will score crucial goals for the club.
A good season for Bournemouth would be to finish in the top half of the table. There are only a small group of teams who can realistically finish in the top six and that is still out of reach for the Cherries. A top half finish on the other hand is well within reach and Bournemouth are 9/4 to end the season in the top half of the Premier League table.
It’s unlikely Bournemouth will embark on a long run in the FA Cup, as their main priority will be the Premier League but having made some good additions to the squad, expect to see Bournemouth punching above their weight in the 2017/18 Premier League season.
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