AFC Bournemouth player speaks out amid previous Barcelona transfer speculation | OneFootball

Bournemouth’s James Hill has opened up on speculation that linked him with a move to Barcelona.

Hill joined the Cherries in the January transfer window from Fleetwood Town for a fee believed to be in the region of £1 million.

But a report by the Daily Mail in November linked the 20-year old with a shock move to Spanish giants Barcelona.

Hill has since commented on that speculation, claiming that he remained focused on his football during that time.

The report claimed that the club had sent scouts to watch Hill play, but the defender took no heed of the stories and remained focused on performing on the pitch.

“Obviously you hear the talk, but from a player’s point of view and my point of view, I just literally concentrated on the football side of things and left that to the other people who deal with that situation,” said Hill, via Bournemouth Echo.

“For the interests of me, it was just play the games that I’ve got in hand and concentrate on training and leave the outside to do all the talking.

“Literally if I just carried on doing what I was doing, then the rest should take care of itself.”

Quiz: Can you identify each of these 24 ex-AFC Bournemouth players just by looking at 3 clues?

1 of 24

1) 34-years-old, plays in non-league and played in 296 games for Bournemouth?

Steve Cook Brett Pitman Harry Arter Ryan Fraser

Hill has only appeared once for Bournemouth since making that switch in January.

Scott Parker’s side are competing for an automatic promotion place in the Championship this campaign.

Bournemouth are second in the Championship table with eight games still to play.

Parker’s side lead third place Luton Town by six points, with the Hatters having also played two games more than Bournemouth.

Up next for the Cherries is the visit of Bristol City on April 2.

The Verdict

To attract interest from Barcelona goes to show the regard in which Hill’s talent is regarded.

The move to Bournemouth is a much more logical next step for Hill at this stage of his career.

He hasn’t quite been able to make an impression in the side so far, but he could yet get his chance should Bournemouth secure promotion early.

At 20-years old, he also still has plenty of time to develop his game into a first team player standard.

The determination he showed to keep performing with Fleetwood despite the transfer speculation bodes well for his ability to progress in a pressurised environment.