Is it safe to say that Bournemouth are now an established Premier League club? Probably not, however the Cherries fans here in the Football Transfer Tavern are arguing so. They do, though, need to make some summer signings and quickly with players such as Elphick and Ritchie having left the club already.

To the rest of the world, Bournemouth were probably quite an unknown team until they gained promotion to the Premier League but now they are there, they have that draw of being a top flight team to be able to get higher quality players.

And whilst the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez obviously won’t be throwing on the Bournemouth kit for their unveiling at Dean Court any time soon, the Spanish La Liga still boasts some fantastic players who Eddie Howe won’t have to pay out of the nose for and who can still do a great job in keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League.

So to all the loyal Cherries’ in the  Football Transfer Tavern tonight, seeing as this is a Bournemouth related article, the drinks are on me so enjoy your pints and check out these 5 La Liga players who should be on Eddie Howe’s radar.

Jonas Gutierrez

Jonas Gutierrez is a seasoned veteran when it comes to playing in the Premier League. He’s also a seasoned veteran in remaining in the Premier League with his last goal in a Newcastle shirt being the one that kept them afloat at the end of the 2014/15 season.

Upon being released by Newcastle, Gutierrez signed a one year deal with Deportivo, and that year is up. Whilst he probably wouldn’t be a key player in Eddie Howe’s side heading into the 2016/17 campaign, he would be a big voice in the dressing room, share his experience with a lot of the players who haven’t been in a relegation battle before.

Guillermo Ochoa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnZJT1J3zSs

The Cherries could do with some fresh blood between the sticks, Boruc isn’t a bad keeper, but in no way is he a great one. A good keeper can be instrumental in a successful season and Boruc just isn’t what Bournemouth need anymore. If the club is getting rid of players like Elphick and Ritchie then I see no reason why the 2015 Championship winners can’t do the same with Boruc, and a perfect upgrade would be Malaga’s Ochoa.

An experienced international with Mexico and at the ripe old age of 30, he’s still a very capable and reliable keeper. Ever since joining the Spanish side, he has always been second choice to Cameroon’s Carlos Kameni, having to wait until his second season at the club to make his debut, and that was only due to Kameni being injured and unable to continue.

Thomas Vermaelen

With the departure of club captain, Tommy Elphick to recently relegated Aston Villa, the club are lacking that leader at the back, in fact they were missing that sort of player for most of last season after Elphick was sidelined due to injury.

Vermaelen used to be that sort of player in his prime at Arsenal and despite barely getting a kick of the ball in a Barcelona shirt, the Belgian international must still have some of those qualities in his locker. He’s the perfect fit for Bournemouth and given the fact he’s barely played five minutes at the Nou Camp, I doubt Eddie Howe would have to beg Barcelona to let him go.

Alex Song

Another former Arsenal and current Barcelona player, Alex Song is experienced and versatile, the two things that a club like Bournemouth who have just started life in the Premier League need from a player.

The 28-year-old’s 6 years with Arsenal has given him a wealth of knowledge and experience to work with and grow from. On top of that, he can play as a central midfielder or in a holding role and if the club is plagued by injuries or suspensions, he can also play centre back.

Having been loaned out to West Ham for the past 2 seasons, it again doesn’t seem like Barcelona are keen to keep hold of the Cameroonian and Bournemouth could pick him up for a surprisingly cheap price.

Mateo Kovacic

You could argue that this would be an extremely unlikely signing given the fact that Kovacic cost Real Madrid somewhere in the region of €30m from Inter Milan. However, ever since the appointment of club legend Zinedine Zidane as manager in Madrid, the Croatian international has fallen out of favour.

Another reason to go in Bournemouth’s favour for this potential deal is the fact that not many big clubs are looking Kovacic’s way. This could help a high quality player slip under the radar of a lot of big clubs, straight for the doors of Dean Court.

Cherries fans, what do you make of this list? Can you see these five making their way to the South Coast? Would would you have in your five? Let us know below…