Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe eyes instant impact from Glenn Murray
Thursday 10 September 2015 23:02, UK
Eddie Howe says he is hoping new signing Glenn Murray can provide Bournemouth's forward line with extra Premier League quality.
Murray completed a £4m move to Bournemouth from Crystal Palace on the final day of the summer transfer window and is in line to make his debut for his new club against Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday.
Howe already has Callum Wilson, presently the joint Premier League top goalscorer, at his disposal, but he believes the addition of 31-year-old Murray can help the Cherries build on a promising start to their first season in the top-flight.
"Glenn has a proven track record of scoring goals in the Premier League, is an experienced striker and has been there and done it," Howe said.
"He also gives us a slightly different dimension to our play. He is a predator but also scores goals from crosses which is something we have been missing.
"Every striker's brought in to try and chip in with goals. It's not the be-all-and-end-all, as long as they're contributing to the team, but it is a big part of what their job is.
"If you look at his track record, it's very impressive. His goalscoring return to games [played], he's managed to step up with every challenge that's been placed upon him, and reacted positively to that, and I think he'll fit in well to what we do here.
"Any striker, you're hoping can have a real impact on our season. I believe we've got really good attacking options. When you look at the strikers, they're all slightly different, they've all got their strengths and the areas they can help us, most of them are fully integrated into how we work.
"Obviously we're going to get Glenn used to our way of working and used to our way of playing, but I'm excited to see them all play together.
"It's [a transfer] we've chased for the majority of the summer so to finally get it over the line was very pleasing."
Murray was a significant figure for Palace, following Alan Pardew's appointment of manager in January. The 31-year-old scored seven goals in the final three months of the season as the Eagles secured a top-10 finish, having previously been in danger of relegation.
The summer arrivals of Connor Wickham and Patrick Bamford increased competition for places at Selhurst Park, but Murray insists his desire to join Bournemouth owed to their attacking style of football and not because he felt that his place was under threat.
"Before I signed, I watched Bournemouth a few times, and that was attractive [football]," he said.
"If it was more of a defensive team, and one man up front was left on his own, it might have been a different decision [to join] but that isn't the case. [The transfer] suited all parties involved.
"You don't know for yourself until you walk through the doors [that the squad is tight-knit] but that definitely is the case. These guys have been through a lot together and I'm hopefully adding to that in trying to stay in the Premier League."
