Cherries fans have seen three players leave the club on loan this week, but it looks like the highly rated Dango Ouattara will be playing at the Vitality Stadium soon.
BUzz news understands that French side Lorient have accepted a £20 million from Bournemouth have beaten off competition from Premier League rivals – most notably Everton and Leicester.
It would be the first piece of business for the Dorset club since the takeover by Bill Foley, and fans will be hoping for more of the same over the coming weeks.
For now though, the attention is focused on Ouattara, a young and exciting talent that will offer the Cherries something different in attack.
With 6 goals and 5 assists in 18 games this season, the Burkinabe striker will offer Gary O’Neil something the team doesn’t have in abundance up front, genuine pace.
Quick and skilful, Ouattara has the ability to not only get out of tight situations with his close ball control but the power and speed to burst past players and make defenders turn and face their own goal.
His pace will be something O’Neil can use to his advantage, especially in counter attacking situations. The hard working Dominic Solanke and towering Kieffer Moore will both relish playing with Ouattara who will stretch defences and create space and chances for his fellow strikers.
À l'image de son équipe, Dango Ouattara marche sur l'eau en ce début de saison 🌊#LaCompil | #FCLFCN pic.twitter.com/9lvP1nUnHG
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) September 12, 2022
Not only is the 20-year-old a player who can create, but he has an eye for goal too, and can score different types of goals.
From strikes outside the box to cool one-on-one finishes the Cherries new man looks like a real gem, but the key for O’Neil will be how rough is his new diamond.
But something that goes under the radar for Ouattara is his defensive work-rate, with him being one of the best attackers in Europe this season in terms of his work off the ball, averaging 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game.
Bournemouth do not have the luxury of giving Ouattara too much time to acclimate though. Premier League points are in desperate need in order to avoid being dragged into the relegation zone and if the club want any chance of playing Premier League football next season, the former Lorient player needs to hit the ground running.
The signs look good so far though, but only time will tell if this could be as astute a signing as it appears on the surface.
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