Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says the club will not entertain any interest in England striker Callum Wilson or any other of their key players when the transfer window opens in January.
Wilson is expected to return from a minor hamstring problem which kept him out of the 4-0 home defeat by Liverpool last weekend for Saturday’s trip to Wolves.
He forced his way into the England set-up this season by scoring seven times and marked his first international cap with a goal in the win over the United States at Wembley in November.
Howe, though, is not about to let any of the Cherries’ core squad depart as the club look to build on their promising start and target a top-seven finish.
“Yes, we are (confident),” Howe said when asked at a press conference whether the club would keep Wilson during the January window.
“At this stage we are just focusing on the matches, we have got so many games to come around the Christmas period, I am sure Callum is the same, he is focusing on his football.
“We are certainly not anticipating losing players in January that we don’t want to.”
Howe will not risk any long-term problems for Wilson by throwing the striker back into action unless he is fully match fit.
“(He makes) a huge difference. You need your best players fit and available, and Callum has had an excellent season to this point,” Howe said.
“Physically he’s been good as this is the first problem he’s had, but we have to be careful with the problem, we are not going to push players too early, so we will wait and see for this game.”
Howe also confirmed midfielders Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook had undergone surgery on their respective knee injuries.
“We don’t think it’s a serious problem which shouldn’t keep him (Gosling) out for too long, but he will probably be out until the new year,” he said.
Cook, however, is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during the Premier League victory over Huddersfield.
The England international, 21, will be given all the support needed on the long road to recovery.
“When you do have a long-term injury you do feel isolated and lonely,” Howe said.
“The beauty for Lewis is that he has players around him that have had similar injuries so he has support around him.
“It’s important we keep him close to the squad.”
Bournemouth head to Molineux looking for a response from their defeat at the hands of title-challengers Liverpool as they aim to keep the pressure on both Everton and Manchester United.
“We want to get out there and put the Liverpool game to bed,” Howe said.
“The Christmas period is a really important time for us. We know we can build some real momentum, and these periods can often define seasons.”
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