BOSS Scott Parker is set to decide on who will be Cherries' captain for the remainder of the season.

Despite taking over as head coach in June, Parker has always been reluctant to announce who his skipper will be long-term.

Steve Cook took that role on last year, following the departure of previous captain Simon Francis from the club.

But with Cook missing pre-season and the opening games of the 2021-22 campaign as he battled back from a knee injury, 22-year-old Lloyd Kelly has instead taken the captain's armband for all five Championship matches so far.

Centre-back Cook has made one appearance this campaign, captaining the side during the 6-0 Carabao Cup thumping at Norwich City.

But the 30-year-old was subsequently left out of the squad for Cherries' trip to Hull City last weekend in what Parker described as a "selection decision".

Cook and Kelly are among five senior centre-backs in the squad following the culmination of the transfer window, with the pair set to compete with Chris Mepham, Zeno Ibsen Rossi and new recruit Gary Cahill for a starting berth.

Asked what his plans were for the captaincy, boss Parker told the Daily Echo: "There'll be a leadership group, for sure. Captain-wise, we’ll see that when everything settles down.

"I’ll make a clearer decision on where I am with things.

"You come into a football club like me and it’s very new. Everyone is new to me.

"While I respect everyone’s past and while I respect everyone’s stature, whatever they have been here, my eyes are open at this present moment in time.

"I’m looking to see who are the leaders? I want to make a good decision.

"I don’t want to rush into anything on that. I want to make a proper decision, because that role is vitally important for me.

"So I want to make sure whoever that person is is a person I know will be doing the job I want them to be doing, through bad, through good, through whatever. I need time to look at that really."

Asked last week if there was any update on who his captain would be this season, Parker added: "No, not at the moment. Not until this (transfer) window shuts and we know where we are.

"That's my stance on it. Once the window shuts and our squad is the squad then we'll nail down exactly what way we're going to go with that."