AFC Bournemouth summer transfer dossier: Eddie Howe faces first test of Premier League management

Eddie Howe, the League Managers' Association manager of the year, may not see the whites of the eyes of his new Premier League opponents until August but one of his greatest tests in the top flight comes this summer before a ball is kicked as he attempts to build a squad capable of beating the drop.

Bournemouth will have the lowest budget of any club in the Premier League so it will be down to Howe to make something out of very little. The club's previous flirtation with liquidation means the £130m ($199m) they earn from promotion might be kept in the coffers, meaning Howe's task will be made all the more difficult.

Business so far

The Cherries have the busiest off-season of all 20 clubs in the top flight. Three players have joined on permanent deals including goalkeepers Artur Boruc and Adam Federici as well as Blackburn Rovers' Josh King. The biggest coup of the window, though, comes from Chelsea as Christian Atsu joins on a season-long loan after a year at Everton.

What they need

With only a handful of players possessing wafer-thin top-flight experience, adding know-how of the Premier League is probably the priority for Howe. The struggles of Queens Park Rangers and those gone before indicates that while you need goals, a misery defence is the key to survival. The goalkeeping position might be covered but substantial surgery is needed at the back.

Who could join

Charlie Austin has been heavily linked with a return to the south coast this summer, even if the fee expected to be demanded by QPR might push Bournemouth to breaking point. The transfer rumour mill has thrown up as many realistic targets as ludicrous suggestions with Dwight Gayle, Dimitar Berbatov and Braga forward Eder among those linked with a switch to the newly promoted side.

Who could leave

The luxury of being a newly promoted team with little Premier League experience is Bournemouth are unlikely to be a victim to raids from the big boys of the top flight. That said, last season's top scorer Callum Wilson has been linked with as many as 11 teams, including champions Chelsea as well as Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

What the manager has said

"In our situation going into a new league with so many unknowns we want dependable players that we know," said Howe. "I think the make-up of our squad will be British.

"That's not to say we won't look abroad and we have cast our net quite wide to try and find the best players for us.

"One of our key strengths has been our team spirit and we don't want to lose that in any way shape or form. We've got to enhance that and that's our challenge."