BOSS Eddie Howe is hoping to play his part in helping Cherries repay owner Maxim Demin’s commitment to the club following a prosperous January.

Demin sanctioned three major signings during the transfer window while also ensuring Howe would keep together his first-team squad by giving him the green light to hand Lewis Grabban an improved contract.

Goalkeeper Lee Camp, a free agent, started the ball rolling when he agreed terms on a two-and-a-half year deal following a successful loan spell.

And in the final few days of the window, Cherries paid Spurs around £250,000 for Adam Smith and £400,000 to Charlton for striker Yann Kermorgant.

Cherries also swooped for teenage prospects Josh O’Hanlon, Ben Whitfield and Jonathan Muleba, while Grabban was persuaded to stay after rejecting a move to Championship rivals Brighton.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “We were very pleased with the business we did during the month. Keeping our best players is always one of the biggest tests for us and that was always the aim.

“We want to try to build and progress with the squad we have and selling anybody would have been a real negative. It was close with Grabbs but we were delighted to have kept everybody.

“Without Max, we wouldn’t be where we are now so he deserves a lot of credit for what he has done to the football club, not just in terms of the money he has spent but the way he conducts his business. We are hopeful we can bring success to him long term and repay that faith.”

Howe also made a number of changes to his backroom staff during January with Joe Roach and Carl Fletcher replacing Shaun Brooks and Paul Groves in the youth department. Simon Weatherstone was appointed first-team coach as successor to Chris Hargreaves who took over as manager at Torquay.