Eddie Howe will speak to Bournemouth’s owner this week to decide whether he will stay on as manager.
The 42-year-old will want to know how much Maxim Demin, the club’s Russian owner, who lives in Switzerland, will be prepared to invest to give his side a realistic chance of gaining promotion back to the Premier League next season.
Howe feels a sense of duty to Bournemouth, where he has spent 20 years in spells as a player and manager from 1994, but he also does not want to be treading water in the Championship if he does not have a squad of sufficient strength to get out of it.
Those who are close to the Bournemouth manager say that he wants to discuss his future with his family but would not be able to live with himself if he walks away from the final year of his contract. Howe has looked increasingly drained in recent weeks as the likelihood of the club returning to the second tier for the first time since the 2014-15 season increased. Their fate was sealed despite beating Everton 3-1 on Sunday.
Bournemouth’s board will have questions for Howe about their results given that they sit midway in a table of net spending by Premier League clubs over the past five years.
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In their first four Premier League seasons they won 11, 12, 11 and 13 matches respectively, compared with nine this campaign. Results started to deteriorate in the middle of last season: they lost 11 and drew four of their final 20 league matches, and their form went the same way this season.
There will be no fire sale of players, although the transfer fees they can expect to receive will be lower because the club’s hand is weaker after relegation. Manchester City have lodged their interest in Nathan Aké and other clubs are expected to follow suit. Bournemouth valued the centre back at £70 million when Leicester City were interested last summer.
Bournemouth also expect that Josh King and Callum Wilson, the strikers, will be sold. Wilson joined in 2014 and his 20 goals helped them to promotion. After he scored 14 times last season he was linked with a move to West Ham United. He hit only eight league goals this season.
There are question marks over Jefferson Lerma, Aaron Ramsdale and David Brooks. Ramsdale has aspirations to make England’s squad for the European Championship next summer, reducing the likelihood of the goalkeeper being prepared to move to a club to sit on the substitutes’ bench.
The impact of relegation on their financial position is highlighted by their most recent accounts. In March they announced a £32.4 million pre-tax loss and their wages-to-turnover ratio is 84 per cent. Their match-day income was only £5 million because their stadium Dean Court has a capacity of 11,329.
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They generated £115 million of their £131 million in income through the 2018-19 Premier League broadcasting deal. They will now have to rely on parachute payments, which are estimated to be worth £43 million next season.
Bournemouth’s rise to the Premier League was financed by loans made by Demin, who is a billionaire and owns a petrochemical company. He is superstitious and rarely attends matches as he feels it could bring bad luck.
Demin will not dismiss Howe, but what he says will shape whether the manager decides to stay.
Relegated — and now in demand
Nathan Aké, 25
Composed former Chelsea centre back who wants to take a step up and attracted interest from Manchester City.
Valuation £50million
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Ismaïla Sarr, 22
Fast and raw winger who contributed five goals and six assists in the league after a club record £30million move last summer. Valuation £50million
Todd Cantwell, 22
Scored six goals and claimed two assists in his first season in Premier League. Linked with Leicester City and Newcastle United. Valuation £30 million
Josh King, 28
Striker who scored 12 league goals in 2018-2019 but in the last year of contract. Valuation £15million
David Brooks, 23
Talented tricky winger returned from a knee injury to play nine times this season. Valuation £40million
Abdoulaye Doucouré, 27
At his best he breaks up play and drives from midfield but was below par since restart. Everton’s £36million offer was rejected last summer. Valuation £40million