Benik Afobe quit Wolves for Bournemouth last season.
Bournemouth’s Benik Afobe in action with Cardiff City’s Sean Morrison
Benik Afobe was missing from Bournemouth’s starting XI once again as the Cherries suffered a second successive Premier League loss.
Manager Eddie Howe elected not to use the striker in the 1-0 loss to West Ham, picking him on the bench, an with the game poised at 0-0, deciding to send on Lewis Grabban instead.
Afobe will surely have a part to play this season, but his absence from the action was striking, with Bournemouth scoring only one goal from two games. He got just 22 minutes off the bench in the 3-1 loss to Manchester United a week earlier.
Wolves’ Benik Afobe celebrates
The former Arsenal trainee left Championship side Wolves in January to move to Bournemouth after a prolific spell at Molineux, for a fee of around £10 million.
Afobe made an early impact at Bournemouth, scoring four goals in 12 top flight starts last season, but Eddie Howe’s selection decisions suggest he has plenty of work to do to work his way back into favour – although with Bournemouth’s struggles, the manager will have to change his approach sooner or later.
His former club Wolves are meanwhile enjoying a mini-revival, inspired by a recent takeover, and are looking to make an impact in the transfer market themselves.
Wolves’ Benik Afobe scores from the penalty spot
They sit third in the Championship after four games, currently unbeaten, are are full of confidence under new boss Walter Zenga.
Supporters had plenty to say on former player Afobe’s struggle for game time at Bournemouth. Here is a look at how they reacted on Twitter…
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