Bournemouth slipped to two consecutive defeats in the Premier League thanks to a Salomon Rondon brace away to Newcastle.

The Cherries fell behind after just seven minutes with Rondon beating Asmir Begovic after being picked out expertly by DeAndre Yedlin. The Venezuela international grabbed his second of the game not long after, heading home Kenedy’s cross to double the Magpies’ lead. Jefferson Lerma gave Bournemouth some hope on the stroke of half-time, but Eddie Howe’s men were unable to find an equaliser.

The result leaves Bournemouth in a respectable six-place in the Premier League despite losing their last two games. A potentially serious injury to Adam Smith in the first half will be a massive blow to Howe who also could be set to lose Nathan Ake in the January window. The Englishman is reportedly fearful of losing his star defender with clubs like Manchester United monitoring his situation at the Vitality Stadium.

To replace him, Howe should look to Espanyol star – Mario Hermoso. Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old graduated Real Madrid’s youth academy and was a regular in the B team before joining Espanyol on a free transfer last summer. Hermoso instantly became a crucial first-team player and ended the season with 22 La Liga appearances.

In the new campaign, Hermoso has taken his game to the next level and should be attracting plenty of interest as a result of his impressive performances. The Spaniard excels with the ball at his feet, making him ideal for Howe’s passing system and the perfect replacement for Ake. Hermoso is also a huge threat in the air and has two goals to his name already this season.

The youngster is growing in confidence with every game, and his form will undoubtedly give Spain manager Luis Enrique food for thought for his upcoming squad selections. If Real Madrid decide against resigning their former star, Bournemouth must bring him to England.

Bournemouth fans, thoughts?