In a statement of real intent from the Premier League new boys, Bournemouth snapped up Ipswich Town defender Tyrone Mings in a deal reported to be worth around £8 million, beating top flight sides Aston Villa and Newcastle United to the left-back’s signature.
Ahead of his debut season in the Premier League, Mings told Cherries Player that he was impressed with the manner in which Cherries boss Eddie Howe meticulously set up his team, adding that their style of play is in stark contrast to what he experienced at Ipswich:
“I’m looking forward to learning from the manager’s ideas. They will be different to what I’m used to but that can only be a good thing. The team’s style was different to anyone else’s in the league. That probably goes back to how in-depth the manager is with everything he does and the group of players he has. They can pull off what he wants them to do – they are well organised and play good football as everyone saw last season. The manager has spoken to me about it and it may be a culture shock to what I was used to. It (Ipswich’s style) wasn’t as easy on the eye I guess, but it worked over 46 games and got Ipswich into the play-offs. To learn off Eddie and Jason though is something I’m really looking forward to.”
The History
The Bath-born Mings originally started his footballing education at Southampton’s academy but was released at the age of 16 following cutbacks to their youth set-up. In the wake of a series of unsuccessful trials at a handful of Football League clubs, Mings signed for non-league outfit Yate Town, before making the switch to Chippenham Town a season later.
Impressed by Mings’ performances for the Nike Academy, Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy called him in for a trial, which eventually led to the Tractor Boys signing the six foot five inches defender for a £10,000 fee. Playing second fiddle to Aaron Creswell, Mings chalked up just four league starts in his first full season for the club, though the former’s move to West Ham last summer then freed up the left-back berth at Ipswich, affording Mings a regular role in the starting XI.
Mings became a permanent fixture of McCarthy’s set-up in the 2014/15 campaign, featuring in all but six of Ipswich’s league ties. He notched one goal and five assists as the Suffolk club went on to qualify for the Championship play-offs by virtue of a sixth-place finish – where they lost to Norwich in the semi-finals. Lauded for his authoritative performances at left-back, Mings was named as the Championship Player of the Month for September.
The Prospects
Mings’ versatility was doubtless one of the chief reasons the Bournemouth hierarchy were willing to sanction such a big-money move for a defender upon their first ever promotion to the top flight. He’s most comfortable at left-back – having started all his matches there last term – but can fill in at right-back and was primarily deployed as a centre-back in the 2013/14 season. Certainly, Arsene Wenger saw enough in the burgeoning talent to declare Arsenal’s interest back in December, while Howe has been quick to reiterate his capacity to keep on improving:
“We are signing a player of huge potential. We believe he has everything required to be a success in the Premier League. He’s a good age as well and I think there’s a lot of scope for him to improve. He’s been linked with Premier League clubs for a long time now and is very highly regarded for his performances for Ipswich. Albeit for a short period of time, he has shown great promise. He fits the mould we are looking for – young, progressive, ambitious and wants to improve. Hopefully it will be a successful period for us coming up and he can be a big part of that.”
Given that Bournemouth can hardly afford the luxury of splurging £8 million on a future prospect, it looks more than likely that Mings is set to usurp incumbent first-choice left-back Charlie Daniel in the Cherries’ starting XI. Although he also offers an option in the heart of Howe’s back-four, the recent arrival of Sylvain Distin suggests he’ll be utilised as a full-back by Howe.
With the attack-minded Simon Francis at the opposing full-back position, Bournemouth’s rearguard could emerge as a viable source of budget defenders. The similarly rangy (six foot four inches) right-back – who was named in the PFA Championship Team of the Season – tallied one goal and eight assists in the previous campaign, highlighting his potential for attacking returns. In terms of key passes, Francis (76) and Mings (55) were the top two most creative defenders in the Championship last season, strengthening the appeal of the Cherries’ attacking assets.
Mings arrives at a club that’s already established a solid culture for defending, having ranked second for goals conceded (45) behind Middlesbrough (37) last term. Distin’s acquisition, allied with the presence of either Artur Boruc or Adam Federici between the sticks should aid their transition to the Premier League as the Cherries look for experience at the back. That said, much of Bournemouth’s success last season stemmed from their offensive philosophy, after netting seven more goals (98) than their nearest rivals, Watford (91). If Howe doesn’t strive to fine-tune their approach, Bournemouth could struggle to batten down the hatches against much sterner opposition.
Bournemouth couldn’t have wished for a much more comfortable start to the new season. Four favourable home clashes (AVL, LEI, SUN, WAT) in the first eight Gameweeks, allied with a trip to Norwich, suggests they could be worth considering as cheap rotation options, with Mings – like most, if not all, of his defensive team-mates – likely to come in at the 4.5 mark. Considering that their fixtures take a turn for the worse beyond Mid-October, early investment in the Championship winners could be key.
