Will faith in youth pay off as Bournemouth build for the future?

Somewhat lost in the understandable hysteria of Leicester’s title win, also in part due to a disappointing end to the campaign, Bournemouth’s achievements last season were somewhat undervalued.

Eddie Howe was deemed by many as naive in thinking that his side could simply continue to play in the way that had earned them promotion to the top-flight for the first time. The young manager stuck to his guns, however, and was rewarded for his persistence with a patient, passing approach after a difficult start to the season exacerbated by injuries to key players.

The club broke their transfer record with the signing of Tyrone Mings from Ipswich and later secured the services of Max Gradel shortly before the start of the season. Both big money signings would go on to miss the vast majority of the campaign after picking up knee injuries in the same game at the end of August. By the end of September they had also lost their leading goalscorer in Callum Wilson to another ligament injury.

With the odds stacked against them, Howe rallied the troops to convince his men that they were a Premier League side on merit even without the absent trio. The Cherries would secure survival with months to spare, realistically at least.

This summer has already proven to be a busy one at the Vitality Stadium, and it’s been a case of out with the old and in with the new. Captain Tommy Elphick was another player to miss a large chunk of last season through injury and has since been allowed to join Aston Villa. Meanwhile Slyvain Distin was not given a new contract having started just 9 league matches for the club and the likes of Glenn Murray and Lee Tomlin’s short Bournemouth careers have also come to an end after just one season - for now at least in the case of the former, who has returned to former club Brighton on loan.

It is, however, the departure of Matt Ritchie that will have come as a massive shock to the fans, with the Scotland international, like Elphick, trading the Premier League for the Championship with Newcastle. While the 26-year old didn’t manage to reach the incredible heights that saw him help fire the Cherries to the top tier with 15 goals and 17 assists, only four players featured more under Howe last season, with Ritchie starting 33 of 37 appearances.

Having sacrificed a fair amount of the Premier League experience that this side was lacking this time last summer, Howe is taking a risk once more by trusting in youth this time around.

Indeed, of the five signings Bournemouth have made thus far Nathan Ake is the oldest at just 21. The Chelsea youngster arrives on loan after a very successful spell at Watford last season and his versatility at the back could be a real bonus. In fact, given that he already has both Charlie Daniels - one of the club’s unsung heroes last season - and a fit again Mings at his disposal, Ake may well be used in a favoured central role next season, be that at the back to cover the loss of Elphick or in front of the back four.

The Dutch international was utilised at left-back from the off in all but one of his 20 starts for the Hornets last season but did prove capable at the heart of the defence in his one centre-back showing against Leicester. Indeed, despite Watford suffering a 1-0 defeat Ake earned his only WhoScored.com man of the match rating of the season in said game (8.34). Moreover, with an average of 6.5 tackles and interceptions combined per game - ranking sixth in the Premier League - it’s little wonder he accrued statistical strengths from WhoScored.com in both categories.

While Ake’s acquisition certainly looks a shrewd one, Howe has taken more of a gamble in attempting to replace Matt Ritchie. The club have broken their transfer record for the third successive window - having done so to sign Benik Afobe in January - forking out an eye-catching £15m for Jordon Ibe.

The Liverpool academy graduate undoubtedly has the potential to be a success at his new club, but his game certainly requires refinement and direction. The 20-year old is a livewire, of that there is no question having completed a dribble more often (every 19.2 minutes) than any other player to make more than 10 starts in the Premier League last season.

However, the fact that it probably comes as a surprise that he amassed so many appearances, actually featuring 27 times last season (12 starts), is indicative of a player that doesn’t leave his mark on matches all too often. He’s still incredibly young, of course, but the pressure will be on Ibe to improve his end product quickly having scored just once - on the final day of last season - and registered just two assists in 2015/16.

Elsewhere Lewis Cook’s arrival from Leeds could be considered something of a coup for the club having reportedly been tracked by some of the biggest names in the top-flight. The 19-year old was named the Football League Young Player of the Year last season, following in the footsteps of the likes of Gareth Bale and more recently Dele Alli.

The versatile midfielder is another player with the tools to succeed that is yet to really add that end product to his game. Indeed, he could only match Ibe’s meagre tallies of 1 goal and 2 assists last season, from 43 appearances. Nevertheless, he is a combative player that could add a little bite to a midfield that was perhaps a little soft-centred last season, averaging 2.1 tackles per game, while Cook can also beat a man having completed at least ten more dribbles (51) than any teammate last season.

Lys Mousset and Emerson Hyndman (both 20) will add further competition to a squad that appears to be ageing in reverse, and the outlay of £5.5m on the former certainly suggests that Howe is hoping he can play a real part. Arriving on the south coast from Le Havre, the young French forward ended last season in spectacular fashion following the arrival of former USMNT coach Bob Bradley. With 14 goals in his final 20 appearances in Ligue 2, he is another player that was on the radar of far bigger clubs than Bournemouth and will hope that his desire for regular first team football is fulfilled.

Eddie Howe has certainly assembled a squad full of energy, built with the future in mind. Bournemouth’s business is unlikely to be done just yet, but their young manager will be hoping that his faith in youth is repaid once more in order to avoid the dreaded ‘second season syndrome’.

Under the tutelage of less forward thinking coaches they’d unlikely have made it this far. Don’t be surprised if Bournemouth are raising even more eyebrows this time around, with a finish closer to the top half than the bottom three a realistic aim if Howe can get the best from a squad packed with potential.

How will Bournemouth fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below