We all know about Liverpool’s habit of trapping players off Southampton, but a commercial bond between the Reds and another club on the South Coast has grown in recent years.
Rivals from Southampton, Bournemouth, have gotten into the habit of recruiting players from Liverpool – four to be exact since the summer of 2016.
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Dominic Solanke and Jordon Ibe are two of four players to join Bournemouth from Liverpool
Jordon Ibe, Brad Smith, Dominic Solanke and Harry Wilson all traded Merseyside for the south coast and before the GameDay game from Bournemouth to Liverpool on Saturday we took a look to see how the four have done since.
- You can listen to the full Liverpool vs Bournemouth LIVE commentary on talkSPORT, kick-off 12:30 p.m.
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Jordon Ibe
Many regarded the talented winger as the heir to the throne of Anfield by Raheem Sterling. Some Kopites insisted that Ibe was a better player than Sterling, who left to join Manchester City in 2015.
Ibe had signed a long-term contract with Liverpool in 2015, but was on vacation a year later when Bournemouth paid £ 15 million for his services.
However, things haven’t really worked for the 24-year-old so far. He has scored just five times in almost four years at the club.
This term, he only played 47 minutes of football in the Premier League and Ibe’s career recently reached a low point when he was banned from driving for 16 months for having run into his car in a cafe last July. .
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What Ibe did off the field made more headlines this season
Brad Smith
Only relentless Liverpool fans will remember this guy.
Like Ibe, Smith joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2016 to gain more experience at a Premier League club. Bournemouth paid him £ 6 million.
Smith generally plays as a left back but could not establish himself in the Cherries’ first team, making only eleven appearances.
The Australian spent last season on loan alongside MLS Seattle Sounders where he has had a number of appearances to his credit.
He joined Cardiff on loan for the rest of the season in January but has yet to play for them.
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Smith’s Bournemouth contract expires in May
Dominic Solanke
After winning the player of the tournament award at the 2017 U20 World Cup won by England, Liverpool fans were thrilled by striker Solanke from Chelsea.
But he was constantly facing Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane for a starting point, so it was not a surprise when he decided to leave for Bournemouth in January 2019.
They paid just over £ 19 million for Solanke’s services, but Eddie Howe must be wondering where it all happened, because Solanke really struggled. He has scored only one goal for Bournemouth so far, none in the Premier League.
The likes of Callum Wilson and Josh King kept him out of the starting lineup and it would be very surprising to see Solanke play a role in this match.
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Solanke started twelve of Bournemouth’s 28 Premier League games this quarter
Harry Wilson
Having joined Bournemouth on loan this season, Wilson has not completely turned his back on Liverpool.
The Welshman is not allowed to play against his parent club this weekend.
But there is no doubt that he was the best performer in Bournemouth compared to Ibe, Smith and Solanke.
Wilson has six Premier League goals this season and has made 19 of the Cherries’ 28 league games this season, so don’t be surprised if he is called back to Anfield this summer.
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Wilson’s £ 2.43 million loan cost made him the cheapest transfer, but he was the best of the four
Saturday is GameDay on talkSPORT as we bring you THREE Premier League comments live on our network, including Liverpool vs Bournemouth at 12:30 p.m.
