Steve Cook pens new four-year contract

The 26-year-old centre-back has put pen to paper on a four-year deal, which will keep him at Vitality Stadium until the summer of 2021.

Cook arrived in Bournemouth from Brighton and Hove Albion in September 2011, initially on loan, and made the switch permanent four months later.

Since then, he has been a regular at the heart of the Cherries’ rearguard, playing every minute of their 2016/17 Premier League season and picking up two awards in the club’s end of season honours.

To date, Cook has made 231 appearances for AFC Bournemouth, scoring 15 goals, and said: “It has always been my plan to stay here as long as possible, so to be given the chance to do that is really pleasing.

“Myself and AFC Bournemouth have been the perfect match. Since the manager came in, things have been forever moving upwards and that has matched my own ambitions.

“These are exciting times to be at the club and hopefully we can continue to have as much success as we have had in the last few years.”
AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said: “This new contract is fully deserved after the season Steve has had.

“He has developed into an outstanding defender, has shown great consistency and has proved himself capable of playing at the very highest level.

“I am delighted Steve sees his long-term future at AFC Bournemouth because he is a major part of our plans going forward.”

AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake added: “Over the last five-and-a-half years Steve has grown, both as a person and a player, and has been an integral part of our success on the pitch.

“We have always said that we want to keep hold of our best players and Steve’s new contract is a statement of that intent.

“I look forward to him being a permanent fixture in our defence for years to come. We are building this club for the long-term and Steve is a very important part of that.”