LEWIS Cook believes facing Arsenal and Wrexham in the USA will be a “good spectacle” for the club’s growing fanbase in the country.
Cherries fly off to Los Angeles this morning for a pre-season training camp, which will include friendlies on July 20 and July 24.
There is also an open training session scheduled in between, on July 22.
Interest in Cherries in the US has grown in the past 18 months, since the club was taken over by American billionaire Bill Foley.
There is also the added Hollywood stardust of Michael B Jordan being an investor in the club, while Wrexham have achieved two promotions since being owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Looking ahead to the trip and the upcoming friendlies, midfielder Cook, who has been at Cherries since 2016, told the Daily Echo: “Tough games. You know what they’re about.
“They’ve both had success in the last few years and it will be a tough game.
“But I think we’ll all be in the same boat.
“There will be people coming with different fitness levels and things.
“It will just be a good spectacle to be honest.
“Playing somewhere like America against some big teams will be fun.”
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(Image: PA)
Asked if he thinks there will be a growing Cherries fanbase looking forward to their visit, Cook added: “I’m sure there will be.
“That’s good for the club to try and expand and keep growing as much as we can, get different fans in different places.
“That’s a positive for the club and hopefully we can meet a few of them and have a good time.”
Cherries have been back in pre-season training for just over a week, following a break after the Premier League season ended on May 19.
Reflecting on his travels over the summer break, Cook said: “A bit of Europe and went to America as well.
“It was just nice to switch off and take your mind off football for a bit.
“It was a long time though. I think it’s the longest off-season we’ve had and I know I was and a lot of the lads were ready to come back.
“Obviously you have a few weeks off, but I think after a couple of weeks, you need to start ticking over.
“I think most players will do that. You see some people doing light sessions and things.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to try and focus on resting and recuperating. But you’ve got to make sure you’re on it a little bit.”
He added: “Everyone has been away, travelling to different places.
“You’ve just got to try and get through the first week with everyone feeling fresh and just shaking the legs out.
“We’ve been working hard. You’ve got to try and get the base fitness in the first few weeks and the lads have been top, to be fair, really bought into the hard work.”
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