Speaking to the Daily Echo, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has admitted that defender Jack Simpson needs regular first-team football, amid interest from Championship sides Derby County, Middlesbrough and Stoke City.
Championship trio Derby County, Middlesbrough and Stoke City are said to be interested in signing Bournemouth defender Jack Simpson on loan before the transfer window slams shut next Friday and now, they could have been provided a boost in their rumoured pursuit of the 23-year-old.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has said that Simpson “probably feels he needs regular football”, with consistent first-team football with the Cherries proving hard to come by. Speaking to the Daily Echo, Howe said:
“He is a player of huge potential and promise but is coming to an age where he probably feels he needs regular football. It’s obviously got to be right for us and for him.
“He’s got that rare composure on the ball. I remember one of the early performances he gave at Chelsea, as good a performance I’ve seen with the ball from a centre-half in a long, long time. He’s got that ability to find passes under pressure. He seems to rise to the occasion, which is a great quality to have mentally. Physically he’s good. He is six foot three, he can head the ball and is athletic. He does have everything – the only thing missing for Jack is the experience that a lot of the other players have.
“I back him to get there whether that’s with us, in terms in getting in our team, or maybe looking out on loan.”
Simpson has managed six appearances for Bournemouth’s first-team so far this season, playing as both a centre-back and a left-back. In total, the defender has played 21 times for the club since making his way through their youth academy, scoring one goal and laying on one assist in the process.
With the window closing in just a matter of days, it will be interesting to see if Simpson heads out on loan to the Championship or if he stays with Bournemouth and fights for a place in Eddie Howe’s starting 11.
