Player Focus: Safe Bet Afobe Leading Bournemouth Survival Bid

When Benik Afobe squandered two great chances on his Bournemouth debut in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham last month, manager Eddie Howe was quick to look for the positives. Speaking after the game he said, "I thought Benik did well and worked extremely hard, he had a couple of really good openings and it is great to see strikers be on the end of chances."

Howe clearly believed that Afobe's ability to be in the right place at the right time would prove to be a massive boost for the club, and his belief has been vindicated since. Following a season-ending injury back in September to leading marksman Callum Wilson the Cherries looked likely to be in real trouble. Indeed the fact that Wilson, with 5, is still the club's leading scorer this season by two clear goals is telling.

More often than not summer signing Josh King had led the line in his absence, with his style deemed a better fit than fellow new recruit Glenn Murray, shifting the weight of expectation onto a player that netted just 3 times in two seasons in the Championship with Blackburn.

The fact that Bournemouth forked out a fee in the region of £10m for the services of Benik Afobe last month was a concession that they needed to add firepower in a bid to beat the drop. In truth Howe would ideally have avoided having to make such a move in the hope that those within his ranks could cover Wilson's absence until he returned. In their circumstances that was too big a risk to take, despite proving more than able to cut it in the top-flight.

The move for the former Arsenal academy graduate was a gamble in itself given the price tag but while Afobe could have lost confidence from a couple of moments to forget on his debut he has instead been determined to put them behind him. It was a similar story for Wilson at the start of the season.

Having failed to score in his opening two matches in the top-flight pundits were quick to question whether he could translate his form from the Championship to the Premier League. 5 goals in the 4 league matches that followed - including an excellent hat-trick at West Ham - saw the 23-year old tipped for an England call-up before a horrible injury at Stoke would halt any such aspiration in its tracks. Opinions and fortunes can change so fast in football, particularly for strikers in terms of drifting in and out of form.

Afobe is very much on a hot streak of his own right now, scoring in three consecutive appearances to directly earn Bournemouth 4 points in the process, lifting the Cherries 7 points clear of the drop. His acquisition already looks a bargain rather than an expensive gamble.

Much like with Wilson, Eddie Howe doesn't expect too much defensive graft from his lone striker, just that he be in the right place to convert the chances Bournemouth are so effective at creating from wide positions in particular. Afobe is an ideal replacement for the Cherries' fallen front man in that regard, which will make things interesting when the former does return from injury.

The ex-Wolves striker hasn't made a single tackle or interception for the club this season but has been on hand to fire off 8 shots at goal, scoring three times from just 4 attempts on target, also creating 6 chances for teammates. The fact that he has already found himself in the right positions to have 5 big chances to score, however, is just what his manager was so keen to add to the side. The fact that no Bournemouth player has had more clear cut opportunities all season, despite Afobe making just 4 appearances, highlights how much they have missed Wilson and a true penalty box striker.

The risk the club took in the transfer market now looks like a safe bet, just as Bournemouth now do in terms of beating the drop. Up next for the south coast outfit is the visit of an Arsenal side without a win in 4. It would be no shock whatsoever if Afobe returns to haunt his old club having not been given the chance to make an impression on the Gunners first team. Scoring for the fourth consecutive game could have real consequences at both ends of the table, and the youngster isn't short of confidence in his ability to do just that.

"I believe I would have but I'm not there anymore." That was Afobe's response when asked if he would have scored goals for the title hopefuls. "I have nothing to prove to Arsenal. It was their decision to sell me and I have moved on." Arsene would no doubt wish the striker, once on the Gunners' books, was not lining up against his side on Sunday.

BUABOOK TRADE TIP

How often do we see a player making their return to a former club register on the scoresheet against them. With Afobe in such confident mood right now the chances of the striker scoring for the fourth successive game look strong, so buying shares in the match market against Arsenal at around £0.40 could prove a bargain.

Will Afobe fire Bournemouth to safety this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

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