Bournemouth to opt for Gary O'Neil over Marcelo Bielsa at Vitality Stadium | OneFootball

Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil is a “safer fit” for the head coach role at the Vitality Stadium than that of previous target Marco Bielsa, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 39-year-old is set to be made the club’s permanent manager after initially taking the role on an interim basis following the sacking of Scott Parker in August.

What’s the latest news on O’Neil?

According to The Telegraph, Bournemouth are backing O’Neil to stave off relegation from the Premier League this season after talks stalled with former Leeds manager Bielsa.

The former Norwich City manager has overseen 11 Premier League fixtures for the Cherries so far this campaign, which includes three wins and four draws and losses apiece.

Sources also indicate that the hierarchy at the club are prepared to back their new permanent head coach, with the south coast side said to be targeting four new additions in the January transfer window.

And Jones believes that O’Neil was always going to be a better fit for Bournemouth than Bielsa, with the club only having to make small changes to the set-up rather than a complete overhaul.

What has Jones said about O’Neil?

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “The idea of Bielsa always felt a little bit strange to me, mainly as I don’t feel the Leeds story can be recreated very easily.

“O’Neil is a safer fit, it’s easier to tweak the set-up than make radical changes.”

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A nice easy start…

James Rodriguez Fredy Guarin

What next for Bournemouth?

O’Neil will be hoping that the board follow through on their word and that reinforcements are brought in at the Vitality Stadium, in a bid to steer the Cherries away from the Premier League’s relegation zone.

Last season’s Championship runners-up currently sit three points above the drop zone during the league’s break for the World Cup, finding themselves in 14th place.

However, this has already defied most pre-season expectations, with Bournemouth most people’s nailed-on prediction to suffer relegation from the top flight and make a swift return to the Championship.

And that looked like a sure bet in August, when the Cherries suffered a 9-0 loss at Liverpool, the joint heaviest defeat in Premier League history and a result which cost former manager Parker his job at the club.

However, since a 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in O’Neil’s first game as interim manager, Bournemouth’s form has been steady if unspectacular, but that may be the exact tonic they need to help them stay above the relegation zone come the end of the season.