Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Delighted Mitchell reveals new deals
CHAIRMAN Eddie Mitchell insisted Cherries had the country's hottest managerial prospects after revealing extensions to the contracts of Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall. The highly-rated pair guided Cherries to automatic promotion out of League Two last season, having saved the club from relegation during the previous campaign. And Mitchell has moved quickly to reward them by topping up their existing deals, which had two years remaining. He confirmed Cherries now had Howe and Tindall tied to Dean Court for a further season, with the pair's initial task being to consolidate the club's position in the third tier. When asked whether he felt Cherries were in possession of the country's top young managerial pair, Mitchell said: Easily, by far. I've no experience of other managers but my own view is that you'd have to go a long way to get more hard working people. I think their knowledge is fantastic and we're giving them the backing we can. We're a great team at the moment. Such has been Howe's achievements during his spell in charge, he has attracted plenty of attention, both from the media and rival clubs. He was approached by Peterborough United over their managerial vacancy last season, but opted to remain loyal to Cherries. Since then, speculation has linked Howe with other jobs, including at Portsmouth, despite him clearly pledging his allegiance to the Dean Court outfit at the end of the season. But Mitchell confirmed Howe had backed up those comments by agreeing to extend his stay. Speaking to the Daily Echo yesterday, Mitchell added: We've extended the deals to three years again. They were quite pleased to come on board and we were pleased to have them. It's on a performance related basis but, like most footballers, that's how it's structured. They're pretty much similar to what they were already on. They were keen to stay at the club and I think the reason was because they can see we are fast believing in ourselves. Meanwhile, there is no confirmation on Cherries player signings, with the club still awaiting Football League approval before announcing any deals. During the close-season, the Dean Court outfit have been heavily linked with non-league duo Mitchell Nelson and Harry Arter. Former Cherries star Stephen Purches and Hereford winger Marc Pugh are also understood to be among the potential new recruits. ¢ Mitchell confirmed the club had so far sold around 1,700 season tickets, with 3,000 the aim. The cut off date for renewals is June 17.