Bournemouth Fan Rates Summer Transfer Window a Solid Seven

With the transfer window locked until January, Bournemouth supporters are starting to live with what their club has – and what it has lost. For fan Josh Wyatt, speaking to BBC Radio Solent, the verdict is clear enough: a seven out of 10.

Not spectacular. Not disastrous. Solid.

Where Wyatt really comes alive is when he talks about value. His bargain of the window? Michele Di Gregorio on loan.

“I actually think bringing in a back-up goalkeeper is so crucial,” he said, pointing straight to last season’s example with Djordje Petrovic. Competition changed everything then, and he believes Bournemouth have tried to repeat that trick.

“We saw how important it was for [Djordje] Petrovic last year, bringing in a bit of competition. We brought in Christos Mandas and Fraser Forster. Petrovic was quite shaky early on and we bought in two back-up goalkeepers and he was a different goalkeeper.”

That transformation sticks in his mind. So did Petrovic’s display against Everton.

“Against Everton, Petrovic made some really good saves. In terms of a straight up bargain, bringing in a goalkeeper for £1m who was Juventus' number one last season, I think that would be a bargain for me.”

A former Juventus first-choice, in for £1m and prepared to push the current starter. For Wyatt, that’s the kind of quiet, grown-up business that can define a season.

Antonio Silva tipped to shine

If Di Gregorio is the bargain, Antonio Silva is the headline act.

Wyatt has no doubts about the young centre-back’s ceiling and has already seen enough to be convinced.

“We've have seen it already, really well accomplished young centre-back who could be playing for a top European team in a couple of years,” he said.

The expectation is not subtle. Bournemouth have landed a defender many would expect to see in the Champions League before long. For a club still solidifying its Premier League status, that feels like a statement.

Senesi departure still stings

Not every storyline is upbeat. Ask Wyatt which outgoing hurts the most and the answer comes quickly: Marcos Senesi, now at Tottenham.

“He had a superb year for us, winning a few awards for Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season,” Wyatt said.

“He was really good last year. To lose him on a free transfer to Tottenham, a league rival and a team that finished below us last year is obviously going to hurt. Definitely Senesi will be a big miss.”

A key defender, multiple club awards, gone for nothing to a direct rival. That’s the kind of move that lingers in the stands long after deadline day passes.

And yet, despite that frustration, Wyatt’s overall mood is upbeat.

“Overall I'm definitely happy with the window. We have kept key players and the big names have stayed.”

For Bournemouth, that might be the quiet success of this summer: talent retained, a potential star in Antonio Silva, and a cut-price goalkeeper in Michele Di Gregorio ready to push the man in possession. Now the question is whether that seven out of 10 can turn into something far bigger on the pitch.