The January transfer window had just ended, and Cherries were still struggling for form under Gary O’Neil.

They had strengthened by bringing in reinforcements, but there was still further business to be done at Vitality Stadium.

Cherries took their time before tying down the Jamaica-eligible winger for a further four seasons last February, club and player committing to each other amidst interest from other Prem teams and clubs abroad.

But fast forward five months later, and there is another big season on the horizon following a summer of change, and with it, opportunity for the wideman.

Of course, it is not only a big season for Anthony, but a whole host of Cherries.

Lewis Cook has the chance to catapult himself back into ascendancy as first-choice in midfield, whilst expectation falls upon Dominic Solanke to improve upon his return of six goals and seven assists in the league last season.

Gavin Kilkenny returns following two loan spells that saw him drop to the Championship and then the third tier with little furore.

Transfer windows bring with them uncertainty at all football clubs, very few teams irresistible to the pulls of the market.

Fans will cast their eyes at the expiring deals for Philip Billing and Lloyd Kelly (amongst others) and wonder whether they will remain in red and black beyond the end of this season, or even if they will start the campaign as Cherries.

Even longer-term deals offer no immunity to rumours, nor guarantees of playing time.

Mark Travers’ five-year deal last summer was well deserved and there was no doubt he was Scott Parker’s number one at the start of the season after impressing in the Championship.

But the arrival of veteran Neto and the departure of the head coach quickly saw the goalkeeping landscape change.

Travers is likely to head out on loan before competitive football restarts for the 2023-24 season, the Irishman still viewed highly, but there is no suggestion that Anthony will play his football anywhere other than Cherries this campaign.

There has been another major shift this summer, with O’Neil swapped for Andoni Iraola, and that causes further doubts to be raised aside from the whirring of the transfer gossip machine.

Which players fit into the Basque’s system? Will he look to bring in footballers he is familiar with?

It is clear to see that the former Athletic Club man intends his side to play as wide as possible, meaning wingers such as Anthony will be integral to his plans.

After a first taste of Premier League football last term, Anthony’s next task is to establish himself both in Iraola’s starting XI but also as a top-flight footballer.

Not the first time opportunity has arisen

Some changes at Cherries have garnered more attention than others.

Of course, swapping managers is hardly something that will ever go by unnoticed, but the improvement to the training facilities and the upgrading of Cherries’ academy status is perhaps something that goes amiss by the wider footballing public.

During the tail end of the promotion season from the Championship, Parker somewhat bleated on about how impressive it was that his side featured numerous players from a category three academy.

He was quite right to do so, the impressive start to his tenure that proved the springboard for a return to the Premier League stemming from a squad bolstered by a whole host of youngsters.

Some were quickly phased out when reinforcements arrived. Zeno Ibsen Rossi and Christian Saydee made a handful of appearances, whilst Kilkenny’s run in the first team abruptly ended when players returned from injury and suspension.

But Travers, Anthony, and Jordan Zemura remained key cogs all the way up until May when promotion was achieved at home to Nottingham Forest.

Yes, the lack of senior players created a chance for Cherries’ youngsters to stake claims for further first-team football, but Anthony, Travers, and Zemura deserve credit for taking that opportunity.

Becoming a solo act

In a team sport consisting of 11 players on each side, it is no surprise that it is rare to see players become synonymous with one another.

Although Travers first made himself known to Cherries supporters with his heroics against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, Anthony and Zemura had only risen to prominence in the first season back in the Championship, used sparingly by Jason Tindall and Jonathan Woodgate.

However, Anthony and Zemura quickly became associated with each other.

They shared similar stories, arriving at Cherries following release from London clubs, although Anthony joined from Arsenal some time before Zemura was picked up after a spell at Charlton.

Pictures of the duo signing contracts together after breaking into the first team served as fuel to the rumour that they shared an agent, leading to confusion when Anthony resolved his future at Dean Court with a new contract shortly after the January transfer window had concluded.

Even as their Cherries careers moved in very different directions it was hard to disassociate one from the other.

They came through the academy set-up together, became housemates, and even after Zemura’s departure to Udinese was long confirmed, the pair trained together prior to joining up with their respective clubs for pre-season.

Their effectiveness down the left flank left some journalists asking previous boss O’Neil whether they were ill-suited to lining up with anybody else, the telepathic bond a strength that relied on them sharing a pitch.

In interviews it became irresistible for some reporters to ask one about the other, so intrinsically linked were the pair.

Even after he had signed a new deal, there was contract talk, Anthony almost becoming a spokesperson for his close friend in proxy of any direct messaging from Zemura.

It is not quite a case of stepping out of Zemura’s shadow, but rather changing people’s perceptions of Anthony being one half of a package deal.

However, reinventing himself as solo act after the breakup of the boyband is the least of the winger's worries this pre-season.

Stiff competition on the wings

Picture: AFC Bournemouth (Image: AFC Bournemouth)

He will know that competition for his position in the Cherries team is fiercer than ever, certainly a tougher ask than the barebones state of the squad that allowed him the chance to make a proper breakthrough under Parker at the start of the 2021-22 season.

Justin Kluivert became Cherries’ first new signing of the summer and even though Iraola made a concentrated effort to heavily rotate his squad in the two friendlies hosted in Spain, the Dutchman featured heavily, and largely on the left-hand flank we have come to associate with Anthony.

Anthony’s ability to play on both wings does not make him standout either.

Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo are potential positional rivals, both capable of featuring on either flank thanks to their versatility.

Hamed Traore can even feature out wide, a similar story for Christie, but in both cases it appears that Iraola will prefer to use the duo more centrally based on the glimpses we have seen so far.

Dango Ouattara has largely been utilised on the right, but again is an option on the opposite flank.

Even away from the club, Romain Faivre waits in the wings, a five-year deal of his own meaning even with a season out on loan at FC Lorient the Frenchman is in Cherries’ long-term plans.

Suited for Iraola's game

Under O’Neil, playing time was inconsistent, both in terms of quantity and quality. Often Anthony would be introduced as a quasi-defender, operating more as a wing-back than winger.

Considering that he had been playing in the sixth tier just two seasons prior to his top-flight debut against former club Arsenal, his first taste of senior football helping Mark Molesley’s Weymouth win promotion, Anthony has shown enough to indicate he can cope with the demands of Premier League football.

The introduction of Iraola could be a game changer in the 23-year-old’s career.

A manager who not only prizes width, but makes it a personal mission to help improve players on the training ground.

Anthony loves to cut in from the touchline and try his luck with a curling effort on the edge of an area, a move we have already seen a few times in pre-season.

That extra width Iraola craves suits Anthony's game to a tee - his ability to beat a man and drift more centrally taking advantage of the additional space.

It will not be easy, Anthony first having to impress his new boss before trying to cement a starting position amidst heavy competition.

But as shown before, he is more than capable on seizing an opportunity when it arises.