Bournemouth

Mark Mitchener, BBC Sport

In contrast to Bournemouth's past two January transfer windows, the emphasis has been on departures rather than arrivals, with four players leaving on loan so far.

Hamed Traore and especially Emiliano Marcondes appear surplus to current requirements. Marcondes, out of contract in the summer, last featured in the Premier League in August 2022, so the exit door has long been beckoning.

More eye-catching have been Joe Rothwell and particularly David Brooks' temporary switches to Southampton. The Brooks announcement stressed that there was no permanent option attached, and that it came at the player's request for more regular football.

Brooks' return last March after 18 months out, including a battle with cancer, was one of the feelgood stories of 2023, and having missed the 2022 World Cup, it is understandable the midfielder wants to maximise his chances of playing at the European Championships if Wales make it through the play-offs.

Indeed, Wales manager Rob Page has been saying for several months that he hoped some of his squad, who have struggled for regular Premier League minutes, might move in January.

Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore also fall into that category, although Mepham has been a consistent starter for Wales despite never quite nailing down an automatic place at Bournemouth. Meanwhile, Moore offers a different threat in attack which surely gets him on the plane for the Euros, even if he remains a substitute for the Cherries.

However, the lack of depth in key areas means it looks unlikely Bournemouth would sanction a move unless a replacement was already lined up.

I wrote last week about the injury problems at full-back, and with James Hill joining that lengthening list, Mepham could be asked to fill in at right-back given the glaring lack of alternatives. And while the Cherries’ medical staff deserve credit for Dominic Solanke barely missing a league game in three years, Moore remains the only other out-and-out central striker in the squad, although winger Romain Faivre is back at Bournemouth after his loan spell at Lorient was cut short.

There is some wriggle room for possible signings as the loan exits of Brooks, Rothwell, Marcondes and Traore mean the Cherries have only filled 22 of their 25-man Premier League squad places (players born after 1 January, 2002 such as Hill, Milos Kerkez, Dango Ouattara, Alex Scott and Illia Zabarnyi do not count towards that figure) - and four of those 22 are goalkeepers.

But even as the deadline approaches, fans should not lose any sleep over wild rumours of Solanke leaving - Bournemouth have no desire, or need, to sell.

• West Ham are unbeaten in five Premier League games (W3 D2), their longest run within a season since January 2021 (six). However, they have drawn their past two league games, last drawing three in a row in April 2017.

• Bournemouth have lost their past two Premier League games, going down 3-1 at Tottenham and 4-0 at home to Liverpool. This follows a run of six wins in seven games in which they had conceded just five goals and scored at least twice in every match.

• Across all teams' past 10 Premier League games, only Liverpool (24) have picked up more points than West Ham (21).

• Excluding penalties, only Nottingham Forest (11) have conceded more goals from set-pieces than Bournemouth (nine) in the Premier League this season. West Ham’s James Ward-Prowse has created more chances from set-plays than any other player this term (28).

• Only Nottingham Forest (seven) have scored more goals from fast breaks in the Premier League this season than West Ham (6), with the Hammers’ six being scored by three different players (Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen - two each).

• Dominic Solanke has scored 12 league goals this season – only Joshua King in 2016-17 (16) and Callum Wilson in 2018-19 (14) have scored more in a top-flight campaign for the Cherries.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin, writing for the BBC Football Extra newsletter:

This feels like it has been the quietest Premier League transfer window ever. There is still a day to go and, in the past, huge deals have been done right up to the deadline, but it will not suddenly become a free-for-all this time. The question is: why?

Are all the clubs and their managers deeply satisfied with their well-balanced and over-performing squads? I hardly think so. Have all the coaches suddenly decided that they really want to work more with the youngsters coming through, rather than get a ready-made striker in the morning? Probably not.

Have the big clubs suddenly got sensible and concluded that it is silly spending hundreds of millions of pounds on players, destroying any possible company profits and yet still having no certainty of success at the end of it? This thought might have crossed a few minds.

There is always the possibility that some clubs got the fright of their lives after Everton’s 10-point deduction. Have they finally realised that some of the very complicated and fancy financial and accountancy sleights of hand might not bamboozle the Premier League after all?

Some clubs have spent huge sums and are now quietly trying to sell players to make the books balance.

Does it not smack of just the vaguest possibility of a chance that there might have just been a bit of blustering, self-indulgent financial mismanagement by the owners of some of the top clubs? Surely not - these Masters of the Universe always know what they are doing and understand finance so much better than the rest of us.

I remember listening to a hugely successful banker once braying on to me about how they knew best. I think he was from an organisation called Lehman Brothers.

Millie Sian, BBC Sport

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before the trip to West Ham in the Premier League on Thursday.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He brushed off rumours about a potential sale of Dominic Solanke: "I know nothing about this. I hope it finishes like this over the next two days. As I told you in the summer, I don't expect anything to happen, with Dom especially."

• David Brooks' loan "was not started" by Bournemouth. Iraola "very highly rates" the midfielder, but the 26-year-old "felt he needed a good run of starts to arrive at his best level".

• On bringing any last minute transfers in: "We still have more than 40 hours. It's a lot [of time] in this market because everything moves in the last minutes. It's an uncomfortable situation."

• As a result, he said his "focus" is on Bournemouth's next game and not on transfer deadline day: "We have a game tomorrow night, that's what I have in my mind. I'm not working on these deals and I'm not focusing on this side. Right now, in my mind, it's only West Ham. Obviously there are people in the club who are involved with this, we'll see how it finishes."

• On revisiting West Ham, the club he first faced as Cherries manager: "I hope I've learned some things [since]. There's a lot to learn, especially about the level and demands of the competition."

• He added: "They have really good, very good players. They are sixth in the table. They are especially strong at home. They normally start very strong and, once they are ahead, it's very difficult."

• There are no new injuries ahead of the trip to London Stadium while defender Adam Smith "will be part of the squad" after picking up an injury against Tottenham on New Year's Eve.

• Philip Billing will also be back in the squad after missing the FA Cup trip to Swansea City. Midfielder Romain Faivre will travel with the squad, after being recalled from his loan spell at Ligue 1 club Lorient.

• Iraola confirmed defender James Hill "will be out for about six weeks" after picking up an injury. Hill was only recently recalled from his loan spell at Blackburn: "Knowing Hilly, he will try and do it in four weeks! We've been short at full-back and we know he will work hard to recover."

Image source, Getty Images

Cherries midfielder Romain Faivre has been recalled from his loan at Ligue 1 club Lorient.

Bournemouth signed the 25-year-old in the summer transfer window before he was sent straight out on loan to the French outfit.

The Frenchman made 17 appearances, scoring five goals and assisting one goal, during his second loan spell with the club.

Bournemouth have confirmed that Faivre will wear the number eight shirt for the rest of the season. He is also due to link up with the first team before their trip to West Ham United on Thursday night.

As deadline day looms, we want to know what your ideal final day of transfer business would look like for Bournemouth.

Do the Cherries need to make any signings? If so, who should they look to bring in? And does anyone need to be offloaded?

Let us know your views here

Tottenham are considering a £50m move for 26-year-old Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke. (Sun), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said there had been " a certain level of reluctance" from the club to let midfielder David Brooks join Southampton on loan - a move confirmed on Tuesday.

Brooks, who has made two Premier League starts this season, had been open to a move to guarantee first-team football and more minutes, and will spend the rest of the campaign on loan at the in-form Championship side.

Saints have no option to buy the 26-year-old Wales international.

"Having discussed David's situation with him this month, and taking into account his desire to be playing more minutes of first-team football, we have accepted his request to authorise such a move," added Blake.

"There has been a certain level of reluctance on our part, as David means a great deal to us all at the club. It is because of this that we respect his wishes, and look forward to his return where he will continue to be a valuable asset to our squad, hopefully for many years to come."

"I’m really happy," Brooks told Southampton's club website.

"With the past couple of years with my situation, just to kind of come here and try to get some game time, I’m really looking forward to it and can’t wait to get started.

"That’s why I’ve made the decision to come away from Bournemouth. I think the game time was a little bit limited there at this present time, so I was very eager to get to a point where I wanted to be playing regular minutes.

"This opportunity came up and it was one that I couldn’t really turn down."

Sam Davis, Back of the Net, external

As anticipated, Bournemouth have so far done very little in this window. A few fringe players have departed on loan and there are still a few at the club that may be hungry for more minutes. Our Welsh trio of David Brooks, Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore will undoubtedly have suitors in the Championship.

Brooks feels unlikely after a recent dazzling display in the cup, Mepham equally unlikely due to our current injury issues in defence, but Moore is probably the most likely to depart as he is not going to be dislodging Solanke any time soon.

The only issue would be an injury to Solanke and without Moore we would be incredibly light on back-up striking options, so it may well be a case of Moore being allowed to leave but only if we can find a replacement.

There have not been many whispers but reports recently have linked Newcastle United with Philip Billing, who is also struggling for first-team action. Some have suggested we could allow him to leave and cheekily try and bring back Callum Wilson in return, which would then allow Moore to leave. A lot of conjecture, but that is what transfer gossip is all about after all!

The only other question mark at Bournemouth is whether we need more full-back options. We recalled James Hill from his loan at Blackburn, but he suffered an injury in his second game back. Max Aarons, Adam Smith and Ryan Fredericks all remain out, meaning we are incredibly light in that area.

Southampton are closing in on the signature of Bournemouth and Wales winger David Brooks, 26, on loan. (HITC), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter

Bournemouth's technical director Richard Hughes has emerged as a primary candidate to become sporting director at Liverpool.

Hughes, who is rumoured to be leaving his role at Bournemouth in the near future, is known to be a friend and close associate of Liverpool's former sporting director Michael Edwards.

The 44-year-old has developed a good reputation during his time at Bournemouth where he was pivotal in integrating the new ownership at the club.

Liverpool announced on Friday that current sporting director Jorg Schmadtke will depart Anfield at the end of the January transfer window.

Liverpool are considering a move for Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes to succeed Jorg Schmadtke, who is stepping down as sporting director at the end of the January transfer window. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made, with the ties set to be played during the week commencing Monday, 26 February.

Here are the full list of fixtures:

• Blackburn Rovers or Wrexham v Newcastle United

• Chelsea or Aston Villa v Leeds United or Plymouth Argyle

• Bournemouth v Leicester City

• Liverpool or Norwich v Watford or Southampton

• Bristol City or Nottingham Forest v Newport County or Manchester United

• Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton & Hove Albion

• Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry City v Maidstone United

• Luton Town v Manchester City

Image source, Getty Images

After Thursday's 5-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Swansea City, Bournemouth man of the match and captain for the night David Brooks spoke to S4C alongside goalscorer Alex Scott.

Brooks said: "I'm trying to do the best I can when I get the minutes and the opportunities.

"We've got a great group of players and today was one of the chances I got to show what I'm capable of, and hopefully I've done that.

"I want to be as fit as possible for the [Euro 2024] play-offs with Wales in March - trying to get as much football as possible - and these are the games where I can show what I can do to bump up the minutes ahead of the qualifiers."

Scott added: "We weren't at our best on Sunday [but the first half was brilliant from us.

"When you've got a player like David Brooks, who put it on a plate for me, it's a good result.

"The main thing was to have a quick start. When we've played the teams in the Championship we've had a slow start, so to be 5-0 up at half-time was massive for us."

Did you know?

• In his 101st appearance for Bournemouth and Bristol City, Alex Scott both scored and assisted a goal in the same game for the first time.

• Dominic Solanke scored his 14th goal of the season in his 24th appearance, doubling his tally from 2022-23.

We've seen fewer deals at this stage of a January window than normal.

Simply put, clubs are having to work with what they’ve got. The financial regularities mean nobody wants to get any points deducted, so everybody must be sailing very close, unless there’s a bit of trading to do.

Generally you see one go and then things move around, but it’s heavily looking like just loan deals.

If you ask the bulk of managers if they would bring reinforcements in then they would. I don’t think there’s many who would say they wouldn’t take at least another player. It’s in everyone’s nature to do so. They may say they are not bothered out loud, but do you really believe it?

What can be done? Teams have players missing across the board and it’s a high number of injuries for this time of the season. But it all comes down to the Financial Fair Play regulations.

Would Nottingham Forest go and try and do a bit? Probably. We know Gary O’Neil at Wolves would love to do stuff, but he’s governed by what he can move around in order to bring in.

Then you have the bottom three. They have to strengthen wherever possible but their hands are also tied. It’s tough what they can get over the line.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was delighted with his side's "really good" performance to brush past Swansea City 5-0 in Thursday's FA Cup fourth round tie.

The Cherries put five goals past their Championship opponents in the first half, before comfortably seeing out the victory in the second.

"It's strange. Usually you don't score five goals in the first half," he told the club's official website, external.

"I think we wanted to avoid mistakes we've made in other cup games against Championship opposition where we started slowly and got into trouble.

"We were much more aggressive in the press. I think we were recovering [the ball] quite high, having chances from the start.

"We are improving. I think it's good that Brooksy [David Brooks] scored, Alex [Scott] scored, Sinis [Luis Sinisterra] scored. I think we are adding more and more players and it's something always good.

"To play a game like this, everyone has to be at a high level and we provided a lot of chances for the offensive players. Everyone was winning their duels and we were matching them."

Did you know?

• This 5-0 win was Bournemouth’s biggest margin of victory in an FA Cup game since November 1986, when they beat Fareham Town 7-2 in the first round.

• The Cherries had five different goalscorers in this match. It's the first time five players have scored for them in a game since April 2019 against Brighton in the Premier League.

Bournemouth dominated Swansea to reach round five of the FA Cup.

All five of the Premier League side's goals came before the interval on what was a dismal night for their Championship opponents.

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