THE town of Bournemouth should erect a statue of Cherries boss Eddie Howe in recognition of his unprecedented achievements, it has been claimed.

AFC Bournemouth defender Steve Cook said Howe deserved every accolade for the way in which he had steered the club to the uncharted territory of the Premier League.

Across six and a half years and two spells in permanent charge, Howe secured Football League survival for the cash-strapped club before going on to achieve three promotions.

The club's historic promotion to the Premier League is a massive boost for the whole town, with tourism bosses anticipating the associated publicity and increased visitor numbers could mean a £50million windfall for the local economy.

Steve told the Daily Echo: “He’s an unbelievable manager and I can’t speak highly enough of him. I think he deserves a statue somewhere in Bournemouth.

“Even when he gave his team talk at Charlton when we had effectively already gone up, you could see in the lads’ eyes how much they wanted to win.

“Every time we talk about him we get goosebumps because he means that much to the lads, the club and the fans.

“I don’t know where he gets his passion from, but what a man.

“The club need to lock him down forever. I’m sure he’s got so much unfinished business. He’s going to be relentless and that’s what we need.

“I am sure Bournemouth won’t let him go and I don’t think he will let Bournemouth go."

Keen Cherries supporter Cllr Phil Stanley-Watts said the idea was worth considering and added he was also hoping to bring up the idea of making Howe a freeman of the borough.

"He's quite young for a statue but yes, why not, if that's what people want," he said.

"I think there's a lot of people who would like to see something like that or another commemoration of the club's achievements because they have been nothing short of miraculous.

"As a supporter since I was a boy, I think it's fantastic for the town, an incredible achievement."