Poland keeper Artur Boruc makes permanent Bournemouth move
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Eddie Howe has made on-loan Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc his first signing as a Premier League coach after Bournemouth, 6/4 with Coral to be relegated next season, brought in the former Southampton stopper on a free transfer.
When Ronald Koeman signed another former Celtic custodian in Fraser Forster for Saints, 35-year-old Boruc’s path to first-team football was blocked. He decided to drop down into the Championship with the Cherries, joining them on loan in September.
Keeping 16 clean sheets in 37 league outings at Dean Court this term, Boruc helped Bournemouth win the Championship title and a first-ever top-flight promotion. The south coast club took to Twitter to confirm his permanent arrival
BREAKING: #afcb sign @pzpn_pl goalkeeper @ArturBoruc ahead of first @premierleague season: http://t.co/wE2i7YffcV pic.twitter.com/AYmlEnucf0
— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) May 26, 2015
Having a goalie with previous premier division experience in England, Scotland and Italy (thanks to two years with Fiorentina) is a huge asset for Cherries coach Howe. He has thus handed Boruc a one-year contract.
Further Premier League exposure will help to continue intense competition for who plays in goal for Poland during their Euro 2016 qualification campaign.
Placed in a perilous pool, Group D, which also contains World Cup winners Germany plus British Isles sides Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, Boruc is battling with Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny and Swansea City stopper Lukasz Fabianski for the number one jersey.
Should the Poles qualify for Euro 2016 (8/1 second-favourites to win the group behind odds-on favourites and neighbours Germany), it would likely be Boruc’s last tournament as he would be 36 by then.
Capped 59 times for his country, Boruc is the only player in Bournemouth’s current options at the back who has played in the Premier League before. He notched up a half century of appearances with Southampton.
Howe is odds-on at 1/2 to keep the Cherries up in their maiden top-flight campaign.
