CHRIS Mepham admits “it’s going to take time” for him to fully adapt to the Premier League.
The defender, 21, joined Cherries from Brentford in January for a fee believed to be around £12million and became a regular in Eddie Howe’s side for the second half of the 2018-19 season.
Following a string of injuries to senior defenders Simon Francis, Charlie Daniels, Steve Cook and Diego Rico, Wales international Mepham ended the campaign with 13 top-flight appearances to his name, including games against Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.
And the centre-back says arriving mid-season meant he had to adjust quickly and admits he has not yet fully got to grips with the step up in quality from the Championship.
Mepham told the Daily Echo: “I think it’s going to take time.
“I think it’ll be good next year to have a full pre-season with the team, get match fit and get the game time that I need.
“Obviously joining halfway through the season is always a bit difficult, but I think next season once I’ve had a pre-season with the team, hopefully I can kick on because I’ll be keen to do so.”
Now a Premier League player, Mepham made his Championship debut as recently as September 2017 during his breakthrough season with Brentford.
Before moving to Dorset in January this year, the centre-back had only ever appeared in 43 league matches in his career.
But Mepham's rapid rise has also seen him become a regular on the international scene, taking his senior Wales caps tally to six during the Euro 2020 qualifier against Croatia earlier this month.
It has not been a completely smooth ride for Mepham since the start of his Cherries career.
Following a run of 11 successive starts, the Hammersmith-born ace was substituted after just 22 minutes during the chaotic 3-3 draw at Southampton in April and was left out of the side for the following two matches.
But Mepham did return to the pitch for the final minutes of the campaign in the defeat at Crystal Palace to round off his domestic campaign.
Discussing his season as a whole, Mepham said: “I’ve been really pleased with it.
“Getting the move (to the Premier League) in itself was a massive thing, something I’ve been dreaming of since a young kid.
“Obviously the amount of games that I have played is also really pleasing and I’ve been pleased with my progress.
“I feel like I’m improving. I feel like I’m physically getting there.”
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