According to reports, AFC Bournemouth are now weighing up a bid for Bundesliga midfielder Lewis Holtby as Eddie Howe looks to fill the voids in a permanent manner ahead of their third season in the Premier League. The Cherries did a brilliant job of not just surviving the top-flight English football for the second consecutive time the last term but staying above most clubs and they are reaping the fruits now.
Howe had to bring in loanees in two crucial areas the last term in Nathan Ake and Jack Wilshere and Chelsea’s sudden recalling of Ake midseason had left the manager in a terrible crisis. While the Arsenal loanee did have some great games in the red and black shirt, he wasn’t at his best either.
Howe doesn’t want to run into any such problems yet again next season and after already sealing the deal permanently for Ake from Chelsea with a club record bid, the English gaffer wants to get a quality playmaker. And the Hamburg midfielder looks capable of adapting to Howe’s free flowing football given his technical prowess and passing abilities.
Howe has been praised by one and all for adhering to his philosophy of beautiful football, which most newly promoted side fear of doing in order to get the necessary results. And Holtby would surely want to play under the young manager, who can bring the best out of him.
Holtby’s previous stint in England with Tottenham Hotspur means the player could be a direct addition to the Cherries squad. The 26-year-old has had a decent season with Hamburg the last term as he helped them to stay up in the top-flight with some disciplined displays in their midfield. He has scored once and assisted six times in 29 league appearances.
While Arsenal are willing to offload Jack Wilshere this summer, Vitality Stadium might not be a destination for the highly-rated English midfielder although he would be desperate for regular football before the World Cup.
Holtby is approaching the final year of his contract with the Bundesliga side and they are now willing to listen to offers. Their asking price is somewhere in the region of €6-7 million, which makes him very gettable for many clubs with Newcastle United being one of them.
Holtby broke onto the scene first time back in 2011 with FC Schalke. An impressive season there and Spurs bought him the next season. Although he wasted no time in impressing at White Hart Lane in the first season itself with some composed display, a change in their management saw him getting loaning off to Fulham before he was sold to Hamburg in 2014.
