Bournemouth are keeping tabs on Brentford youngster Chris Mepham. According to recent reports in the English media, the 20-year-old is gathering interest from the Cherries after Bournemouth scouts watched him in action for the Bees’ B team and has since monitored his progress as he broke into the senior side. It is believed that Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe recently caught him in action at Griffin Park and was impressed by his performances this season.
The 20-year-old centre-back has made 12 first-team appearances for the Bees in this campaign, which includes seven starts in the league. Mepham put pen to paper on a new deal with Brentford in September last year. His addition to Eddie Howe’s side will definitely bolster the French manager’s defensive options going into the second half of the season. The Wales Under-21 international played for Chelsea in west London before joining the Bees in the summer of 2016.
The Cherries are currently struggling in the Premier League and are in real danger of getting relegated at the end of this campaign. Eddie Howe has a mammoth task of picking up some crucial wins in the coming months to help his side avoid the drop this season.
Bournemouth are currently in 12th place in the Premier League standings with a tally of 25 points in 24 league matches. They find themselves just 3 points above the relegation zone with a league game against Chelsea coming up away at Stamford Bridge. The Cherries boss Eddie Howe looks like he could use the help of some quality additions in the January transfer window and a potential move for Mepham could aid his side’s quest to fight for their Premier League lives going into the second half of their campaign. At 20, the Hammersmith-born player would be a signing for the future as he can develop at the Vitality Stadium-based club and be of service to them in the coming seasons.
Howe might be the ideal man to get the best out of Mepham as he looks to grow as a defender and reach for the stars in the top tier of English football. However, Bournemouth needs someone who can have an immediate effect in their first-team and to give an inexperienced defender a chance in Howe’s Premier League starting eleven could be a season-defining decision that could backfire in the near future.
It remains to be seen whether the Cherries launch a move for the Championship starlet before of the end of this transfer period.
