AFCB may well have trouble holding on to their captain

The Sun is suggesting that West Ham are after Bournemouth defender Steve Cook as well as Josh King. Steve Cook has been a central pillar at Bournemouth since the League One days, so it would be strange not to see him in a Bournemouth shirt, but would his sale leave a big whole?

Steve Cook is now in demand
I think it would be a major loss because with Steve Cook you don't just have a defender but a captain and a player that others look up to. Having let Simon Francis go and with the sale of Nathan Aké, it has meant that Bournemouth have been shedding defenders with lots of experience. Losing another such defender may leave Bournemouth a bit light at the back for stature and leadership. But in other ways, it is time that Jack Simpson was more involved in the team, and with Chris Mepham and Lloyd Kelly, Bournemouth would be left with a very young group of centre-halves.

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Jason Tindall may well have to weigh up whether it is good to have a fresh start. If Steve Cook does go, then many of the defenders that were criticised for not doing well enough in the Premier League will have left the club. With Adam Smith and Diego Rico also possible targets for Premier League clubs, Bournemouth's backline could be very depleted come the end of 16 October.

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It will put much more importance on the performance and leadership of Chris Mepham who found it hard going at Wembley the other night. He and Lloyd Kelly would most likely be the centre-back pairing that Jason Tindall would turn to if Steve Cook does depart. A new partnership may work well, but there will be some uncertainty with how Bournemouth will do without Steve Cook. We have perhaps become too used to seeing the same faces and we know their game inside out. 

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It does seem strange though that players that were not good enough for the Premier League are being snapped up to play in the top flight again. While Tyrone Mings found that a club move did his game the world of good, perhaps Steve Cook will also find another level to his game if he does move.

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