Bournemouth head into the international break with work to do if they are going to be able to finish inside the Championship’s top six this season and have a chance of securing promotion.

It has been a difficult period for the Cherries over the last few weeks and they have dropped out of the top-six in the Championship due to the form of Barnsley and also seen the likes of Cardiff City and Middlesbrough close in on them as well. Jonathan Woodgate’s side also exited the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage at the weekend losing 3-0 against Southampton.

The Cherries face the prospect of losing a number of their influential performers should they fail to earn an immediate return to the Premier League this term. It would perhaps signal something of a fresh start for the club after the hangover from their lengthy spell in the top-flight having been brought to an end last term.

Bournemouth made their record club signings during their period in the Premier League and here we take look through their 10 most expensive signings and look at what they are up to at the moment…

Bournemouth’s tenth most expensive signing at the moment is Diego Rico, who just about edges out both Asmir Begovic and Benik Afobe who were both reportedly signed for around £10 million. The defender was slightly more expensive with Sky Sports reporting he arrived for £10.7 million in 2018.

Rico is currently still part of Bournemouth’s current squad and is aiming to try and play a part for them in their quest to make an immediate return to the top-flight. The defender struggled to establish himself in the Cherries’ starting line-up in his first season with the club making just 12 league appearances in 2018/19.

However, last term he enjoyed more game time with 27 Premier League appearances but he could not help the club from falling back into the Championship. So far this term, Rico has managed to make 20 starts and 27 appearances in the league chipping in with three assists and also scoring his first league goal for the club against Barnsley.

The defender still has another year left to run on the four-year deal he signed with the club in the summer of 2018, so it will be interesting to see what happens with his long-term future if the Cherries miss out on promotion.

In at ninth place on this list is David Brooks with the attacker having been signed by Bournemouth from Sheffield United in the summer of 2018 for a fee of around £11.5 million according to Sky Sports.

Brooks, like Rico, is another player who is still with the Cherries despite there having been a lot of speculation around his potential future following Bournemouth’s relegation from the Premier League last term. During his first season with the club he managed to register his first league goal during a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace in October 2018. The attacker finished up with seven goals in 33 appearances.

However, last season Brooks’ impact for the Cherries was severely limited with him having suffered an injury in pre-season against Brentford that ultimately kept him sidelined for most of the campaign and required surgery. The Wales international did return to action for the end-of-season run-in and managed to make nine Premier League appearances, but he could not save them from the drop.

The attacker has so far this term managed to score three goals and provide five assists for the Cherries in 24 Championship appearances. Brooks is one player that might be likely to leave if Bournemouth can not secure promotion.

Bournemouth’s current eighth most expensive addition is Chris Mepham, with the defender having arrived at the club in January 2019 from Brentford for a fee of around £12 million, according to Sky Sports.

Mepham, like both Rico and Brooks, is also currently still a member of Bournemouth’s squad in the Championship. He slotted straight into the side at the heart of their defence and made an immediate positive difference for them in the back end of the 2018/19 campaign and managed to help the Cherries finish in 14th place in the table having made 13 appearances.

Last season, Mepham started the campaign in the Bournemouth side and he managed to score his first goal for the Cherries and in the Premier League in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on the opening day of the season. However, he would go on to suffer a knee injury in an FA Cup tie with Luton Town that ruled him out for a few months and he could not save them from drop when he returned.

So far this term, Mepham has managed to make 22 Championship appearances and help the Cherries record six clean sheets. With him having been signed on a long-term deal, he is one player that should remain with Bournemouth even if they are not promoted.

Number seven on this list is Lloyd Kelly, with the defender having been signed by the Cherries from Bristol City in the summer of 2019 for a fee of around £13 million, according to Sky Sports.

Continuing the theme so far in this list, Kelly is another player who was signed for an expensive transfer fee that is currently still playing for the Cherries. Last term was the defender’s first for the club and also his first in the Premier League, but he endured an ankle ligament injury ahead of the start of the campaign and that limited the impression he was able to make on the side.

Kelly did return to action and made nine appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions last season, but that was not enough to try and help them survive in the top-flight. So far this term, the defender has been able to have more of an impact and he has made 30 Championship appearances and chipped in with four assists.

Bournemouth’s sixth most expensive signing at the moment is forward Arnaut Danjuma, who like Kelly was signed by the Cherries in the summer of 2019 with the club paying a reported fee of around £13.7 million to Club Brugge for him.

Danjuma is also still currently part of Bournemouth’s squad trying to challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League this term. The forward was not able to have as much of a major impact as he would have been hoping for last season in his first campaign in English football. He could only make 14 Premier League appearances and failed to score a single goal as they were relegated.

The forward has been a much more impressive and influential performer for the Cherries so far this campaign. The 24-year-old managed to register his first goal for the club in a 3-2 win at home to Blackburn Rovers and he has since managed to go on and score ten goals and registered four assists for the club in 25 league appearances.

In at number five on this list is Phillip Billing who was signed by the Cherries from Huddersfield Town for a reported fee of around £15 million in the summer of 2019 following the Terriers’ relegation from the top-flight.

Billing is also still part of Bournemouth’s squad despite having been linked with a potential move away from the club to Newcastle United in the January transfer window. The midfielder managed to get off to a strong start to his time at the club and he started their first four league games of last term. He eventually scored his first league goal in a 2-1 win against Aston Villa.

In total, Billing managed to make 37 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries last term and scored three goals. He could not prevent them from being relegated to the Championship. So far this season, he has been able to make 26 Championship appearances and has scored four goals and provided two assists.

It will be interesting to see whether the midfielder is kept by the club in the summer if they do not go on to earn promotion, considering that he had been linked with a move in January.

Coming in at fourth place in Bournemouth’s most expensive transfers and arguably the biggest mistake they have made in this list is Jordon Ibe. The Cherries spent around £16 million to bring him to the club from Liverpool in the summer of 2016.

Ibe is the first player on this list who is not currently still a part of the Cherries’ squad. The attacker was an instant starter for the club in the first few months of the 2016/17 season, but he did not have enough consistency in his performances and was ultimately dropped to the bench. He finished that campaign with no goals or assists in 25 league appearances.

The forward enjoyed his best campaign for Bournemouth in 2017/18 and there were some promising moments of form from him, but they were ultimately again too few and far between. He managed to score two goals in 38 appearances. The following year, Ibe would score three goals in 24 appearances for the club in all competitions.

However, the decision was made in the summer for him to be released from the club after he could make just four appearances last term. He has gone on to sign for Derby County, but injury issues have limited his impact with the Rams and he has managed to make just one single Championship appearance for them this term to date.

Another player who was signed by the Cherries from Liverpool for one of their most expensive transfer fees they have ever paid is Dominic Solanke who set them back around £19 million in January 2019.

The forward is currently still a part of the Cherries squad this season and he has been a key player for them this campaign. Things have not always been that way for him with him initially struggling for Bournemouth following his big-money transfer. In the second half of the 2018/19 campaign, he was unable to get off the mark in terms of goals failing to score in ten appearances.

Last season things did not get much better for him, with Solanke going most of the season without scoring a goal as Bournemouth needed more from him if they were to avoid the drop. He did finally break his duck in a dramatic win against Leicester City scoring twice. He would add a third league goal of the campaign on the final day in the 3-1 win at Everton.

Solanke has been much more effective in the Championship for the Cherries and he has so far registered 11 goals and provide five assists. He could well prove to be vital in terms of their chances of getting into the top-six come the end of the term.

Currently, the Cherries’ second most expensive ever signing is Nathan Ake, and he is arguably their most successful purchase on this list. Bournemouth paid a reported £20 million to sign him from Chelsea on a permanent basis in the summer of 2017.

Ake is along with Ibe the only other player on this list not to currently still be with the Cherries. The defender had enjoyed an impressive loan spell with the club in the 2016/17 campaign and he continued that into the 2017/18 season where he managed to make 40 appearances in all competitions and score two goals.

The following campaign, Ake would once again be a standout performer with him managing to score four goals in 39 appearances in all competitions. Last term the Netherlands international was once again one of the Cherries’ best performers despite them struggling and he managed to make 30 appearances in all competitions and score two goals.

That form was enough to convince Manchester City to make a move for the defender last summer and they paid around £40 million which meant that Bournemouth had been able to double their money on him. He has managed to make six Premier League appearances for City so far this term, but his impact has been halted through injury.

Coming in at number one on this list and Bournemouth’s current record signing is midfielder Jefferson Lerma who arrived at the club for a fee of around £25 million from Spanish side Levante in the summer of 2018.

Lerma like most players on this list is currently still playing for the Cherries. The midfielder managed to make a positive impression on the side in his first season with the club and quickly established himself as a vital member of the starting line-up. He managed to score his first goal for them in a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United in November 2018.

The midfielder went on to make 30 appearances in the Premier League in 2018/19 and score two goals during that time. Last term, Lerma was unable to help the Cherries survive in the Premier League despite being an important member of the side and scoring one goal in 33 appearances in all competitions.

So far this term, Lerma has managed to make 34 Championship appearances and he has scored two goals and provided two assists in that time. He will likely be crucial to any chances they have of securing a place in the play-offs.