Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe added to his options up front earlier in the week by snapping up Benik Afobe from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Arriving at Dean Court for an undisclosed fee, the 22-year-old returns to the English top flight just 12 months after leaving former club Arsenal for Molineux in the previous winter transfer window:
“I am just very thankful the manager has given me this chance and opportunity to be at this Premier League club and I can’t wait to get going. The manager here is a young manager so he obviously understands how young players think. He just wants to get the best out of me and that’s what I want to do. I have come here and I’m not saying I’m the finished article or the best that I’ll ever be, because I know that I’ve got a lot to work on. I’m willing to work hard to keep improving and learning from the manager and all the staff and my team-mates. I’m going to try and repay the faith he’s shown in me by scoring goals and helping the team win games.â€
The History
Afobe spent almost 14 years at the Emirates but failed to make a single league appearance under Arsene Wenger. Having joined the Arsenal academy as a six-year-old back in 2001, he turned in some promising performances at youth level and was voted the club’s Under-18 Player of the Year in 2009/10 after his record of 21 goals in 24 matches reportedly caught the attention of Barcelona.
Having signed a professional contract in February 2010, he was farmed out on loan to Huddersfield the following season, where he managed five goals and six assists in 28 outings. This proved the first of six temporary stints at lower-league clubs over five seasons, culminating in a record of 10 goals and four assists in 22 appearances for MK Dons in League One 2014/15.
The striker’s displays convinced Wolves to splash the cash midway through last term, with the Midlands outfit shelling out around £2m for his services. Afobe made an immediate impact at the Championship club, racking up 13 goals and five assists in 21 appearances, though his output has fallen a little this term, with nine goals in 25 league matches.
At international level, Afobe has turned out at every youth level from England U16s to U21s, producing 23 goals from a total of 38 appearances.
The Prospects
Having also acquired Juan Iturbe and Lewis Grabban over the last week or so, Howe has wasted little time in strengthening his options in the final third after the likes of Callum Wilson and Max Gradel were sidelined with long-term injuries over the autumn.
The Cherries boss revealed he’s a long-term admirer of Afobe, whose speed and strength look ideal for the club’s lone striker role:
“We are trying to look to the future and have signed a player who we believe will get better with us and, hopefully, stay here for many years. You could go through our squad and pick 80 per cent of players who hadn’t done it until they had been with us. You need to give players an opportunity and a chance to prove they can or can’t do it. We could easily go the other route and sign players who have done it but are potentially past their best. But I don’t think that is the right way for this club to go. We have tracked his performances over a long period of time. He is quick, strong and scores goals. He is young and progressive. I think there is a lot more to come from him so he really does fit our mould in terms of the players we look to sign. He is an AFC Bournemouth-type signing and this is a logical step for him and us.”
Encouragingly, Afobe was handed his debut at home to West Ham last night as Howe opted to retain his 4-1-4-1 set-up, with fellow new boy Grabban afforded pitch time off the bench as his replacement on 72 minutes. The former Arsenal man’s arrival certainly looks bad news for Josh King, who has recently benefitted from a switch up front in light of Wilson’s long-term absence – indeed, King’s time as a starter (and out-of-position Fantasy prospect) looks very much in question as a consequence of Howe’s early winter spending.
In terms of the competition at Bournemouth, Afobe’s speed surely gives him the edge over the likes of veteran Glenn Murray in Wilson’s absence, though Grabban will be hoping to return to contention as a regular, having impressed in his previous stint for the club. Given the relative success of his decision to move to a three-man central midfield to accommodate Harry Arter, though, it remains to be seen whether the Cherries manager will be prepared to shift to a conventional two-man frontline, potentially setting up a situation where both Afobe and Grabban alternate up top as a lone forward.
Such a scenario would prove frustrating for Fantasy managers, given that Grabban is priced at just 4.2 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), compared to Afobe’s 6.1. If either of Howe’s two new forwards can nail down a regular position, though, it’d be remiss to write them off – as evidenced by Wilson’s five strikes in six prior to sustaining a serious knee injury, Bournemouth are clearly capable of getting amongst the goals. Whether Afobe can step up seamlessly from the Championship is still open to question, though.
Certainly, with clashes against Norwich, Sunderland and Palace in the next three, Howe’s side have the chance to bounce back from last night’s loss. Given that they’d tasted defeat just once in the eight Gameweeks prior to the Hammers clash, chalking up wins over Chelsea and United in the process, there’s still reason for optimism around Dean Court. Nonetheless, in a season where Watford pair Odion Ighalo (6.4) and Troy Deeney (5.2) both sit in the top five forwards, Afobe has plenty to do to persuade Fantasy managers he could be worth our consideration.
