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Go for it Eddie Howe – This Portuguese rock is more than capable of providing Bournemouth’s leaky defence with a massive boost in stability

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Bournemouth Opinion: Duarte could be the man to plug the Cherries’ defence

Domingos Duarte is a Portuguese monstrosity of a centre-half who currently plies his trade for Spanish 2nd division club Deportivo De La Coruna on loan from his parent club – Sporting CP. 

A renowned football club in Portugal, he was signed by Leoes in 2011 as a youth player from his boyhood club Estoril. Since making the switch across the country, he has developed through the ranks to make a name for himself in Lisbon. 

Having spent a couple of loan spells in local clubs, he was loaned out to La Liga 2 side Deportivo De La Coruna at the start of the current football season. Still only 23, the experience he gains in Spain will be extremely crucial to his development as a top quality centre-half. 

His main assets are his height and physical stature. Standing at over 6ft 3in, the defender makes his presence felt in either box and is especially good at tracking the ball. He seems to have a 6th sense about the opponent’s next move – a gift very few defenders in world football possess. 

His movement and sharpness, when faced by pacy attackers, are commendable while he is an excellent ball player capable of playing out from the back or picking out inch-perfect diagonals to the charging wingers. 

Defying his size in certain ways, he displays decent speed and certainly isn’t a slouch in a foot-race. His awareness and leadership skills also make him a potential captain in the future. 

He has notched up an impressive 24 La Liga 2 appearances this term and has scored 4 times for Deportivo. His performances have been recognised by the supporters who already have a new fan favourite inside the stadium. 

Bournemouth are currently struggling with the defensive side of the game. Although the dynamism of the English game is a lot different from the tactical nature of Spanish football, Duarte could be the perfect man for Eddie Howe to target in the summer. 

The Cherries have conceded a whopping 47 goals this season and while they are still in 11th place, their position is still far from secure unless they toughen up in defence by strengthening in the summer by splurging in the transfer window. 

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Domingos Duarte is still young and while he is physically a monster, his reactions and agility are very impressive. Eddie Howe could be the perfect manager for a player like that and he could really prosper in the centre of the Cherries backline if they’re able to complete this move.