CHERRIES are yet to recruit in the January transfer window but boss Eddie Howe feels he already has two new signings – Junior Stanislas and Joshua King.

Stanislas made his first appearance in a month in Saturday's 1-1 draw at West Ham, the winger coming off the bench to expertly set up Ryan Fraser for the opener.

Frontman King, who like Stanislas had recovered from a hamstring injury, replaced Fraser in the closing stages and clocked up his first minutes of the calendar year.

And Howe, who has stated he is not actively in the market in the current window, hailed the boost given to the squad by his returning stars.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “Having both of them back is like having two new signings and it gave everyone a lift to see them with us at West Ham, the other players and everyone connected with the group.

“Junior and Joshua are huge for us. To have such quality back among us does feel like signing new players and it certainly proved that way on the pitch.

“It’s one thing saying it but when the players came on and made a difference, it was great to see. I’m delighted to have both of them fit again, it makes our squad look a lot stronger.

“Junior did very well. The best illustration of his quality came with what he did for the goal. It was a wonderful pass for Ryan."

Howe took charge of his 100th Premier League game in Cherries' trip to London Stadium.

The second longest-serving manager in English football, Howe has led the Dorset club from the base of the League Two to the Premier League across two separate spells.

With the club aiming to secure a fourth straight season in the top flight, Howe admitted he had given himself little time to reflect on Cherries' remarkable journey.

He said: “I don’t really think about it. Maybe one day I will look back and think how great it was but when you’re in it, all you are focusing on is trying to win the next game.

“For AFC Bournemouth, being in this division is very special and the novelty doesn’t wear off with me because I’ve been at the club too long and have seen the other side of the lower leagues and this is where we want to be.

“To maintain our status and to improve the squad and the club is incredibly difficult but we will work as hard as we can to try to achieve it.

“To reach 100 games is a nice personal milestone but it won’t mean anything if we don’t achieve what we need to."

Asked if he had a vision for the next 100 games, Howe said: “I haven’t got a vision for next week yet! I don’t think you can look too long-term in this job.

“I didn’t think 100 games would be possible early in my management career when I was in League Two.

“You can dream and think about what ifs but for me it’s about focusing day to day."