Transfer update arrives from Saudi Arabia as Eddie Howe speaks out on January plans
Eddie Howe remains keen to "improve the team" in January, but hints that financial fair play guidelines could limit our spending power this winter.
Speaking from the team hotel in Riyadh, the boss admits he's currently unsure if we'll have the finances to go again in the transfer market and doesn't expect "too much business", in or out, also revealing how the form of certain players (Miguel Almiron?) have altered some of our recruitment plans.
That said, Howe believes we must be "ready to act" should fitness issues emerge within the squad, suggesting there'll be some scope for new signings if push comes to shove.
The manager is also wary of unsettling the current dynamic within the squad, feeling certain signings can sometimes have an adverse impact on the group if they don't buy into what we're trying to achieve; both on and off the pitch.
Here's the first of three snippets from Howe's chat with the media, starting with his opening thoughts ahead of the January window:
"As a manager, I am always looking to improve the team. I will never sit here and be content - I don’t think that is the right way to manage.
"My way to take the team to new heights is to improve through the training of the players we have. If we can’t get to a certain level, then we need to find that in the transfer market.
"In my position, you are keen to sign the best players you can - but those players come at a premium. Botman wasn’t cheap, Alex Isak (£60m) wasn’t cheap. Those are players who can influence the starting XI.
"Do we have the finances for that? I do not know. That might impact our options. It is a considerable outlay the club have to find and with FFP, I’m not sure that’s available to us.
"You have to work within the guidelines of the club."
When asked if our transfer priorities have changed since the summer, Howe had this to say:
"Probably, yes, I would say. You are always making new impressions and opinions on players because of what you are seeing in matches and training.
"The squad, in my eyes, looks different to what it did in the summer because of how well players have done - and from my perspective, I can’t ignore that.
"We look like, on paper, we have a very strong squad when everyone is fit. Everyone is not fit currently, and that has a bearing on what you look to do in January.
"I am not expecting too much business, whether incoming or outgoing, but it is football and it is January, so it’s unpredictable.
"We can’t predict what is going to happen with our own squad, in terms of fitness and availability, so we do need to be ready to act if we need to."
Finally, Howe was then asked if he's wary of too many new signings disrupting the chemistry within the squad:
"These are the difficult decisions when you are in my shoes that you have to make.
"You can sign a very good player, but the chemistry is not quite right and the team doesn't do as well as maybe everybody would have predicted.
‘You can fail to add new energy to the group and sometimes the group can look a bit flat because you haven't added to the dynamics, and that can change (things).
"So my thought is always - every transfer window - try to improve the squad if we can, but I am aware the chemistry is brilliant within the group, and I don't want to disturb that."
