'Speculation will ramp up over how Bournemouth fill glaring void in attack'

The Bournemouth rollercoaster shows no sign of stopping – in the past week alone, Andoni Iraola's side stretched their unbeaten Premier League run to an unprecedented eight games thanks to a sublime David Brooks volley sinking Everton, signed two players, but lost both of their main strikers to injury.

While USA youth international defender Matai Akinmboni is very much "one for the future", and fellow teenager Julio Soler from Argentina provides some depth where there previously was none - with Milos Kerkez the only recognised left-back in the squad for the first half of the season - speculation will now ramp up over how they will fill a now-glaring void in attack.

While the best-case scenario for Evanilson after metatarsal surgery could mean the Brazilian is back in a couple of months, his regular deputy Enes Unal's ACL injury in training means the Turkey striker looks unlikely to feature again this season.

Even before both injuries, there had been reports Daniel Jebbison's loan at Watford was likely to be terminated this month as it has not worked out as planned - and Bournemouth have now confirmed his recall - though at Premier League level the 21-year-old is more of a back-up than a starter.

Any transfer efforts set in motion by Evanilson's injury will have been redoubled after losing Unal, and it will not harm Bournemouth's recruitment plans that owner Bill Foley is in town this week if a permanent move rather than a loan needs to be sanctioned at the highest level.

And while all that takes place, Iraola has an FA Cup tie against West Brom for which to prepare. The Cherries' injury issues mean they do not have the personnel available to name an entirely different starting XI as some top-flight managers will no doubt do in round three.

"I'd go strong," ex-Cherries midfielder Joe Partington told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast, which has returned this week.

"Have Bournemouth ever been better set up than they are now to go after a cup competition?

"You only have to look at last season when Leicester were doing very well in the Championship, and maybe Bournemouth's fans would have expected them to win that [fifth-round tie] with a watered-down team.

"But Leicester won that game. You think 'ah, that's a shame' as they'd have been very close to a semi-final. Even though I don't agree with the semi-finals being at Wembley, it's a great day out. Show respect to the cup and play your best team."