Bournemouth willing to break the bank for Liverpool winger
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In 1996, £15m in British sterling bought Newcastle Alan Shearer. Two decades later, Bournemouth are set to pay that amount for Liverpool’s 20-year-old winger Jordon Ibe.
Naturally, inflation has to be taken into account. However, it is still quite a startling comparison considering one had just been crowned Premier League top scorer for the second time in succession and the other is a player with obvious potential and four senior goals in 58 appearance to date.
Despite the gamble, it seems Eddie Howe is among the top flight’s best man managers and if Ibe’s Liverpool promise can be coaxed out of him, then the Cherries will be onto a winner.
Bournemouth have bought very well under Howe’s history-making tenure and although Jurgen Klopp appears willing to let him go after the clubs agreed the deal in principle, there is real scope for the England U21 to flourish at the Vitality Stadium.
Without quite the same level of competition for a spot in the Cherries starting XI and perhaps the intensity of the scrutiny that comes at a club the size of Liverpool, Ibe may get the regular starts that build his confidence back up.
Although the young forward ended up appearing 41 times in all competitions last season for the Anfield giants, only 12 of those were Premier League starts.
More often than not the former Wycombe Wanderer was a second-half introduction and there were times towards the end of the season where Ibe looked to have lost his way a little in a red shirt.
Ibe does have plenty going for him though. He is a natural dribbler, blessed with quick feet, strong and no slouch either.
If Howe can mentor him and wheedle out more consistent end product then this could end up being a club transfer record worth shattering.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
