BOSS Eddie Howe has hit back at suggestions Cherries would be prepared to shell out £30,000 a week on a striker to fire the club to the Premier League.

The claim was made in a column published in a leading national newspaper on Monday and has been described by Howe as being “absolutely miles off” and “unhelpful”.

Asked by the Daily Echo whether there was any substance to the story, Howe replied: “I can say there is absolutely no truth in it. A lot of things can be said in the press which are factually incorrect and, on this occasion, it is absolutely miles off.

“Nothing could be further from the truth in terms of £30,000 a week for any player at this football club. I don’t see that day ever happening here and I don’t think it should.

“We have a strict wage structure and are not huge payers. We have always maintained that in the Championship, let alone in the Premier League and, for me, £30,000 a week is a good wage in the Premier League.”

And asked whether the article was a source of annoyance, Howe said: “It is because I don’t know where a story like that would come from. It is so far off track that it is baffling when you are in our position.

“A lot of the speculation and a lot of the players we have been linked with and the transfer fees quoted are also really exaggerated and I don’t know why. It is something that doesn’t really affect anything other than people’s perceptions of what we are trying to do.

“We have always maintained that what we are trying to do is build and it is not about money. It’s not about paying players huge wages, it’s about development, getting good characters and trying to improve them as players and building a team that plays a certain style and one that can hopefully win us games.

“It’s always been about the football for us so when people bring up financial stories or rumours that are incorrect, it goes away from what we are trying to do every day.”

The article also made reference to the fact Cherries had been in administration in 2008 and Howe was asked whether he felt the club’s rapid rise was fuelling media reports such as this one.

He replied: “I don’t see Ipswich, Derby and Middlesbrough getting linked with stories like this so maybe it does go with the territory, I don’t know.

“From our perspective, as always, it is about coaching and making sure the team is prepared so these stories are unhelpful.”