Having already drafted in talented young players such as Jordon Ibe, Lewis Cook and Lys Mousset in this transfer window, Bournemouth signed left-back Brad Smith from Liverpool on Wednesday. The 22-year-old arrives at Dean Court for a reported fee worth up to £6 million including add-ons.
After penning a four-year contract with the Cherries, the Australian international is determined to earn more pitch time after struggling to convince at Anfield:
“It all happened quite quickly. I knew there was a bit of interest and then they put the bid in, Liverpool accepted and it went from there. I flew to America (with Liverpool) and was there for about five days. Once I found out the bid had been accepted, I stopped training with the team to make sure everything went the right way. It’s a great stadium here and it’s a great opportunity for me to come and play in front of the fans. Hopefully I’ll do well, learn a lot and progress in my career”.
The History
Born in Sydney, Australia, Smith’s big break came when he was scouted as a teenager by Liverpool. He moved over to England at the age of 14, and progressed through the academy to make his first-team debut as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in December 2013.
That would be Smith’s only appearance of the 2013/14 season, though, and he would spend the opening months of the following campaign on loan at Swindon Town, where he played 10 matches in all competitions, registering one assist.
In September last year, Smith signed a new long-term contract with the Reds, but while he managed 10 first-team appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing two assists, three of his four Premier League outings came when manager Jurgen Klopp rested many of his regular starters around the Europa League campaign.
Due to Smith’s parents being English, the defender was eligible to play for both England and Australia at international level. He featured for England at Under 17, Under 19 and Under 21 levels, playing 16 times in total, before deciding to represent Australia. He made his senior debut for the Socceroos in September 2014 against Saudi Arabia, and currently has nine caps to his name. He has also played eight matches at Under 23 level for Australia, scoring one goal.
The Prospects
Costing a mere 4.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Smith’s acquisition will obviously put us on alert to the prospect of a cut-price route into Bournemouth’s back-four.
The new boy was handed his first start against Cardiff on Saturday afternoon, less than 24-hours after Charlie Daniels was the preferred left-back against Reading.
It’s fair to say that Smith faces a tough task to nail down a starting berth for the beginning of the season. Given that Daniels racked up an impressive three goals and five assists last term, and ranked fifth among defenders for key passes, it seems like the left-back berth is his to lose at present.
So far, Daniels is currently owned by 5.9% of FPL managers, more than double any other Cherries defender.
There’s no doubt that Daniels’ price rise to 5.0 is off-putting, though, bearing in mind that Bournemouth conceded 67 times last term and served up just seven clean sheets.
Similarly, Steve Cook’s valuation has also climbed out of the budget bracket on the back of four goals and two assists last season – having carried a strong set-piece threat last season, finishing joint-fifth among defenders for shots in the box with 21, helping him claim four goals and two assists.
At 4.5, then, Simon Francis currently makes the most persuasive case for consideration as the Cherries prepare to face Palace, West Brom, Watford and Hull in the opening eight Gameweeks.
The new skipper produced just one key pass less than Daniels last season despite featuring at centre-half on numerous occasions and with Adam Smith only just returning from injury to earn 45 minutes against Cardiff on Saturday, the versatile Francis could start the season at right-back.
It’s worth noting, though, that Francis is looking to become a regular in central defence this term, which suggests that Adam Smith – also costing 4.5 – could also be one to monitor if he claims the right-back slot once his fitness is up to scratch.
Despite last season’s defensive record, it’s somewhat surprising to see that the Cherries were the fifth most resilient team in terms of minutes per shot conceded in 2015/16, while they ranked seventh for shots conceded inside the box.
Ultimately, there’s too much uncertainty over Brad Smith’s minutes to take unnecessary risks, in spite of such a budget-friendly price tag. His arrival now offers Howe two viable options at left-back, which, in turn, lessens the likelihood of Nathan Ake featuring there. The on-loan Chelsea man was utilised in this position whilst at Watford last year and is now determined to nail down a central midfield role for the Cherries. At 4.5 and listed as a defender, his situation is also clearly worth monitoring – Ake made his debut as a centre-half on Friday evening against Reading.
