West Ham boss Slaven Bilic aware of threat posed by Benik Afobe
Friday 15 January 2016 12:27, UK
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic feels he does not need to do any research on Bournemouth new boy Benik Afobe as he was expecting to face him in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Striker Afobe was due to be in the Wolves squad which travelled to Upton Park at the weekend, only to be withdrawn ahead of his move to Bournemouth for a fee in the region of £10m.
Afobe began his career at Arsenal before enjoying a prolific spell at Molineux and he could now make his debut for the Cherries against Bilic's side in the Premier League clash on Tuesday night.
"We were expecting him to play on Saturday so I have already watched him in a few games, He's a very good player," Bilic said ahead of the game at the Vitality Stadium.
"They have also signed Juan Iturbe from Roma who is a great winger. Bournemouth are thinking big, so well done to them.
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"They had a lot of injuries and have done well to maintain good results without those players, but they have probably been waiting for this transfer window."
Bournemouth ran out 4-3 winners at Upton Park in August, so Bilic knows what to expect from Eddie Howe's men in the reverse fixture on the south coast.
"They are a good side, they have been together a long time with the same manager, and now they have added a couple of players who they needed," added Bilic.
"They are playing good football and the biggest thing is they don't have negative pressure. They got promoted, and although it's important to stay up, they are enjoying it.
"You can see in the games every player is positive, they are not afraid of the ball. They enjoy playing football.
"They are well organised, they are hard to beat, they run a lot and they did it here when they beat us 4-3, so we are very aware of what to expect when we play them."
As for players who might come to West Ham during the January transfer window, Bilic was quick to refute the suggestion they are in the running to sign QPR striker Charlie Austin.
"Charlie Austin? That hasn't come from the club," he said. "He's a good player, of course, but he was linked with most of the clubs when they [QPR] got relegated.
"We were among those clubs in the summer but we chose other options, and now we are not looking for that sort of player."
