Bournemouth continued their positive run in the Premier League as they came back to draw the game against Watford last week. And although results haven’t gone their way lately, the Cherries remain extremely close to the top half of the table and a finish in the top bracket would be a massive achievement for Eddie Howe.
Howe has garnered a lot of attention for his attacking style blended with beautiful passing and their recent draw with Arsenal saw them at their best. Arsenal almost had no answers to their counters and three late strikes helped the Gunners salvage a point at Vitality Stadium.
However, the biggest blow to the Cherries was given by Chelsea, when they decided to call back their defender Nathan Ake. Having been promoted to the Premier League just last season, Bournemouth managed to keep their place and targetted some loan signings in the summer, which also included Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere. The sudden recall of Ake has definitely toppled Howe’s plans for the second half of the season.
The English manager is desperate to fill the void with quality and a lot of defenders have also been linked with Cherries in the past few weeks. The latest one to join the list, as per reports, is Everton’s fading man Phil Jagielka. The availability of the former Toffees skipper has alerted many clubs, which include the likes of Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Leicester City, West Ham United and more.
Hence, landing him won’t be an easy task for Howe. The only and perhaps the biggest edge with Bournemouth is their league position. Most other clubs competing for Jagielka’s signature are below the Cherries and closer to the relegation zone. And a player leaving Everton, who are now competing for the Europa League qualification spot, wouldn’t want to move to a relegation threatened side.
Howe would get a decent replacement for Ake in Jagielka. Although the 34-year-old doesn’t retain the vibrancy and agility anymore, he would bring with himself lots of experience. A Sheffield United youth product, Jagielka was brought to Everton in 2007 by David Moyes who now wants him at Sunderland. Jagielka has been one of their main players since then, playing a staggering 583 matches in English football, where he has scored 34 goals in all his career.
In Jagielka, Howe would get a defensive leader, someone who could guide the team under pressure situations, thereby sharing the burden with Simon Francis at the back. Defending has been a big problem for Bournemouth as they have conceded 39 goals in 22 games already. His addition could definitely improve that record in the second half of the season.
