Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe. (Getty Images)
Bournemouth surpassed all expectations with a wonderful start to the season but just one win in their last seven games has derailed their campaign. The Cherries once again went down 2-0 to Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday and Eddie Howe’s men slipped down to 11th in the standings.
Eddie Howe might be the youngest manager in the Premier League but credit should be given to him for the amount of work he has put in to assemble such a resilient unit. However, he needs to do something different now to turn Bournemouth’s fortunes around.
Bournemouth haven’t been outrightly poor in recent weeks but things just haven’t fallen into place for the south coast outfit. With the January transfer window around the corner, Howe must bring in some fresh faces to add life to his faltering campaign.
And here are 2 players that Bournemouth should offload in January to make way for some new recruits:-
It feels really awkward to put his name on this list but the 36-year-old former England international hasn’t played a significant part in the Premier League so far. With Callum Wilson and Joshua King going great guns, Defoe’s involvement has been limited to a bit-part role. However, that too would be an exaggeration as the veteran has made only 4 substitute appearances in the top-flight where has played just 22 minutes of football.
Bournemouth have relied heavily upon Wilson to deliver the goals each and every week and they need a plan ‘B’ if their talisman is sidelined or he doesn’t deliver the goods.
Lys Mousset is another promising prospect but Bournemouth need another quality centre-forward to improve their bid of a top-ten finish.
Quite clearly, Defoe is not in the manager’s plans and a move away from the Vitality Stadium would be ideal for both parties.
Bournemouth looked solid at the back earlier in the season but their defensive record has taken a battering in the last seven games where they have managed just one win. Nathan Ake and Steve Cook have formed a formidable pairing at the heart of the Cherries’ defence and have been at the centre of everything that Eddie Howe’s men have achieved so far this season.
Tyrone Mings has made a couple of starts but 21-year-old centre-back Jack Simpson’s involvement has been restricted to 3 games in the League Cup. With Mings in the squad, Simpson is not likely to get a look in for the Premier League games and a loan move away from the south coast will do a world of good to the development of this tall and powerful defensive wall.