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Eddie Howe has "no immediate plans" to add to Bournemouth squad

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 11 August 2017

Eddie Howe 'has no plans' to add to squad

Eddie Howe is happy with Bournemouth's squad depth on the eve of the Premier League campaign, admitting that he will only make another signing if a player gets injured.

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has declared himself happy with his "well-balanced squad" and does not intend to bring in any new players unless injuries strike.

The Cherries kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, aiming to build on last term's impressive ninth-place finish.

Howe has largely managed to keep his squad intact during the summer, while also bringing in Asmir Begovic, Jermain Defoe and Nathan Ake to bolster his ranks, and the 39-year-old sees no real reason to dip back into the market at this stage.

"There are no immediate plans [to bring anyone else in]," he told reporters. "But regardless of how long is left in the window we're never totally closed to business because you never know when you need to act dependent on injuries and things like that, but we have no immediate plans to bring anyone else in.

"I think we're covered in all the positions at this moment in time. We have a well-balanced squad. We are certainly a smaller tighter squad than at this stage last season but the quality is higher and that's the big difference.

"We're in a good place. I am happy with the pre-season that we have had. The players have come back very, fit, very focused and ready to work straightaway. From that perspective I feel we are ready."

Howe also confirmed that Junior Stanislas is expected to miss around a month of action, but he otherwise has a full squad to choose from at The Hawthorns.