Wilshere has opened the door to big names joining Bournemouth, says Howe

Eddie Howe hopes that more big name players will follow Jack Wilshere and join Bournemouth in the transfer window.

Wilshere joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan in the summer but his season was ended when he broke a bone in his leg.

But Howe hopes that Wilshere will be the first of many big names to head to the south coast with the likes of Jermain Defoe, John Terry, Nathan Ake and Asmir Begovic all being linked in recent weeks.

Howe said: “I think Jack’s signing will help in the summer. Signing a player of Jack’s quality, his name, it definitely changes the exposure of the club. I think that served to get our name around the country, almost around the world. The Premier League is global.

Picture: Getty

“People are aware of Bournemouth now and maybe a couple of years ago with our promotion to the Premier League, they wouldn’t have been. They would have been impressed by the story but now we are quite well known.

“There are very few players that will make us stronger. Hopefully there will be no negative surprises for us.

“I want to keep the squad together, keep our best players and try and add quality to the group if we can. If we can do that, it will be another good window for us.”