Eddie Howe's top five most expensive transfers as a manager
Martin Macdonald
- 8 Nov 2021 16:13 GMT
- 8 min read
Newcastle announced on Monday the appointment of Eddie Howe as their new manager, with the former Bournemouth boss coming in to replace Steve Bruce.
Following the controversial Saudi takeover, the new owners of the club didn't take long to sack Bruce, with various big-name managers subsequently linked with the job.
Names like Brendan Rodgers and, perhaps fancifully, Antonio Conte were mentioned, but it was eventually Unai Emery who emerged as the club's number on target.
When the Spaniard turned Newcastle down, they turned to Howe, who has been without a club since leaving Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 season following the club's relegation.
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Howe will be backed significantly in the upcoming January transfer window, with the club reportedly ready to spend as much as £200m to start the Saudi-backed revolution.
It remains to be seen how much the Englishman will be involved in recruitment, but he will have a say in who is bought, so who are the players he has spent big on in his career?
Jefferson Lerma - £25m from Levante, 2018
The most expensive purchase in Howe's career is Jefferson Lerma, who joined the Cherries from £25m in the summer of 2018.
Though the Colombian would provide some steel in midfield, he was and remains a walking yellow card.
In 114 league starts for Bournemouth he has received no less than 39 red cards and been sent off twice, too.
He only has four league assists in that time.
The fact that Lerma continues to ply his trade in the Championship following the club's relegation probably highlights an overspend on the midfielder on Howe's part.
Nathan Ake - £20m from Chelsea, 2017
Nathan Ake was one of a number of young Chelsea players who could not see a route into the first team, and so eventually joined Bournemouth on a permanent deal for £20m after previously being on loan.
While Ake impressed on an individual level, he was part of the defence which was so leaky in 2019/20 which led to the relegation.
This was a good transfer deal, though, as Bournemouth would double their money on Ake when they sold him to Manchester City.
Dominic Solanke - £19m from Liverpool, 2019
Dominic Solanke was a fairly expensive acquisition from Liverpool in 2019, joining for around £19m.
The striker would feature on 42 occasions for Bournemouth in the Premier League and found the back on the net on just three occasions.
Fortunately for him, he has finally found his goalscoring form at a lower level in the Championship.
In the 2021/22 season alone he has scored 13 in his opening 17 games.
He may eventually fire Bournemouth back to the Premier League, but is he good enough to be a consistent scorer in the top flight? His historical stats would suggest not.
Jordon Ibe - £16m from Liverpool, 2016
Former Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe is currently without a club and has been since the end of last season, struggling to find an interested suitor to sign him as a free agent.
He spent four seasons with Bournemouth in the Premier League and never scored more than two goals in a single campaign.
His best year came in 2017/18 when he recorded six assists, but even that isn't a great return for an outlay close to £16m.
Philip Billing - £15m from Huddersfield, 2019
Following Huddersfield's relegation in 2019, Bournemouth picked up midfielder Philip Billing to provide some much-needed energy in the middle of the pitch.
He would suffer another relegation with Bournemouth, though, which perhaps suggests he was never good enough for the Premier League.
Crucially, all of the signings in our list have not went on to bigger and better things since signing for Bournemouth, with the exception of Ake.
Read more about: Premier League, Newcastle Utd., Dominic Solanke, J. Ibe, Jefferson Lerma, Nathan Aké, Philip Billing
