NEW signing Elliott Ward has revealed how boss Eddie Howe’s ingenuity had a major influence on his decision to join Cherries.

The former West Ham and Coventry star this week became Howe’s first summer recruit when he finalised terms following his release by Norwich.

Cherries saw off interest from a host of other Championship clubs to secure his services – with Ward admitting he had been swayed by Howe’s novel selling point.

The towering defender told the Daily Echo: “He put together a DVD for me to show how the club wanted to play and I liked what I saw. He is the only manager who has ever done that so I was really impressed.

“He was keen to show me how the team played and a bit about the lads. The DVD highlighted how they worked and showed some of the goals from last season. It was impressive stuff and I learned a bit more about the club. The meeting with the manager was probably the biggest factor in me deciding to sign.”

Ward, who was at West Ham with Stephen Purches, canvassed the opinion of his brother Darren Ward, who played alongside Matt Ritchie at Swindon, and a number of other friends in the game.

“I had a chat with my brother and we spoke about the games he played against them last season and about what type of team they were,” added Ward. “He said it was a good club and one that was on the move.

“It was a bit of an unknown for me so I spoke to a few friends who knew more about the club and some of the players. I got some good information and can’t wait to get started.”

Cherries boss Howe, who described Ward’s signing as a big statement by the club, explained his reasoning behind producing a personalised DVD for the 28-year-old.

Howe told the Daily Echo: “I wanted to show Elliott what he would be coming into. I think it is very easy to speak about things and express your vision to a player but it is better to show them visually.

“Some of our biggest selling points are how we play, how we work and what we are trying to create. I felt the easiest and best way to portray that to him was to show him a DVD.

“If he felt it made a difference, then that is really good to hear. It is probably testament to the players and how they played last season because it was just clips of us in games.”