AFC Bournemouth
Jefferson Lerma has welcomed a new son, made a delayed visit to his family in Colombia and now rejoined the Cherries for a belated start to his own pre-season.
The midfielder's 2021/22 begins with a six-game suspension, the first two of which have now been served.
The Colombian joined Alberto Navio from afcb.co.uk to discuss his action-packed break, starting
afcb.co.uk: How was your summer?
JL: Very good. I hadn’t been able to go to Colombia until this summer so I managed to spend some quality time with my loved ones. I feel like I've charged the batteries for the new season.
afcb.co.uk: Did you spend all your holidays in Colombia?
JL: Most of the time, yes. Then I also spent a few days in Spain.
afcb.co.uk: And a new baby came along for you...
JL: Yes, I am very happy, it feels like he was my first child. Children bring a lot of love and happiness. His name is Derrick and I am very glad.
afcb.co.uk: Does he sleep well?
JL: Thank god, yes he does. He is different to my other children and he is a very calm baby. He is not a lot of trouble and only cries when he is hungry, I've been lucky.
afcb.co.uk: How about international football, what was your view on the Copa America?
JL: Well, I think Colombia had a great tournament.
Unfortunately, we did not achieve our final goal but there were a lot of positives to take from it, especially considering that we had a new manager and he didn’t have a lot of time to work with the players because of the pandemic.
However, I think Colombia had a very good tournament even if we lost against Argentina on penalties. I think we can learn from the experience and come back stronger.
afcb.co.uk: You were a bit unlucky, especially in the second half, you didn’t let Argentina out of their own half.
JL: Yes, our only option was to attack and attack. We managed to pull level in the game and got to the penalties but we were unfortunate.
afcb.co.uk: And now back in England. How did you feel about your suspension?
JL: It was hard to take, but the suspension has been decided and I am focusing on working hard for the season ahead. Now I am enjoying life and have left that behind.
afcb.co.uk: How is it going with Scott Parker?
JL: It’s going well. He’s going to do his best to bring Bournemouth back to the Premier League.
I have worked with him only for a few days but you can see he’s an ambitious person with that hunger for winning.
My team-mates are also pleased with him and that’s the main thing, getting results and get back to the Premier League where Bournemouth deserve to be.
afcb.co.uk: So are you focused on the season ahead now?
JL: Yes, I am. I have to prepare as best as I can to face the new season. I am training hard and waiting to play again.
