CHERRIES fought off competition from across Europe to secure the signature of striker Daniel Jebbison.
The Canada-born striker has been in England since he was a teenager, coming through the youth ranks and into the first team at Sheffield United.
Cherries have paid the Blades a £1.5million training compensation fee, after his contract expired at Bramall Lane.
It is understood Jebbison may well head out on loan later this summer, but before that is set to get a chance to impress with the squad on their pre-season tour in the USA.
To get some insight into what Cherries can expect this season and beyond from the 21-year-old, we spoke with Danny Hall, Sheffield United writer for the Sheffield Star.
Daniel Jebbison has signed a four-year contract at Cherries (Image: AFC Bournemouth)
Jebbison came over from Canada as a teenager. How did his move to Sheffield United come about?
It was one of those right time, right place scenarios I think for Jebbison.
His family moved from Canada to the UK to give their boys the best possible chance of making it in the game and Dan along with one of his brothers were spotted by United at an organised trial event.
His brother was eventually released but Jebbison continued to progress and worked his way up, exploding onto the scene with that historic full debut goal at Everton a few years back.
He broke into the first team very quickly. Has he progressed as expected since and what was the story behind his long absence last season?
It’s difficult to really define the expected progress for a lad who scores in the Premier League at 17.
Not everyone can follow the Wayne Rooney pathway from there and it’s easy to forget sometimes how young and raw Jebbison still is, because he seems to have been around forever.
His goal return didn’t light up Bramall Lane, but few top strikers are consistently banging then in at that age and some take a while to find their feet.
Injuries and an unfortunate pre-season blood clot last summer didn’t help his progress and there was a feeling of inevitability around his exit, the longer he went without signing the deal that was on the table for him.
What sort of player and person are Bournemouth getting?
His physical attributes are obvious. He’s very tall, athletic, quick and can stretch the game.
He can also finish, but his age means inevitable inconsistency as well.
He spoke a lot about being a good person in his first interview and I think that means a lot to him.
He’ll no doubt be keen to make up for lost time after missing almost the entirety of last season with that blood clot issue, which meant he had to be carefully managed to avoid the risk of any further issues on the pitch.
Were you surprised he got a move to a Premier League club this summer? How ready is he for that sort of level?
Not at all surprised.
A lot of focus amongst Unitedites has been on what Jebbison has done - three goals in 35 - but for me it’s about what he can do.
Those physical attributes can’t be taught and if he can marry that up with the consistency and remain humble and grounded then Bournemouth will have a player on their hands, especially for the bargain £1.5m up front.
He would probably benefit from a loan next season I’d imagine, as I can’t see him challenging Dom Solanke just yet!
But if he’s treated with the necessary patience and nurtured along, then they might have just signed his long-term successor. I hope it works out for the lad.
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