RECENT years have been chaotic at Cherries on deadline day.

Nothing will quite beat January 2022 where, looking for reinforcements to boost their Championship promotion bid, Cherries signed five players on one day – Kieffer Moore, Nat Phillips, Todd Cantwell, Siriki Dembele and Freddie Woodman.

The summer window of that season saw both Ryan Christie and Jamal Lowe snapped up in the final hours.

And who can forget the late deal sheet to sign Shane Long on loan from Southampton, which interrupted his apple crumble in February 2021?

Perhaps the most memorable Cherries deadline day switch of all? Jack Wilshere on loan from Arsenal in 2016.

But even as recently as the last transfer window, there has been late drama, when the club sanctioned a surprise swap loan deal with Leeds United for Luis Sinisterra and Jaidon Anthony.

The previous window saw Illia Zabarnyi and Hamed Traore signed on the final day.

However, this time around, things are expected to be significantly quieter.

Of course, you can never be quite sure. A surprise big bid for a player could come in and change the game.

But as things stand now, nothing of any real note is expected.

The situation is particularly complicated by Cherries having a Premier League fixture tonight, as the final hours of the window tick down.

At 7.30pm, Cherries get underway against West Ham United at London Stadium, with the transfer window closing at 11pm.

Given how deadline day can work, there is of course the bizarre possibility of a player starting the game in Cherries’ matchday squad and a few hours later not being at the club any longer.

Bournemouth Echo:

One of those could be Gavin Kilkenny. The Irishman has been a regular on the bench in recent weeks, but made just one appearance all season, coming on during last week’s win over Swansea City.

Fleetwood Town of League One are interested in the 23-year-old and are hopeful of sealing his loan arrival today. Kilkenny is however currently with Cherries’ squad and Andoni Iraola says he will be part of the group for the game tonight.

It is still likely some younger members of the club will head out on loan today.

Owen Bevan is expected to seal a loan switch to Hibernian in Scotland, while Daniel Adu-Adjei was left out of Tuesday’s development squad fixture against Millwall with a potential EFL loan move in the offing.

Kieffer Moore continues to be linked with a move away, but with Cherries needing to replace him if they were to let him go, it seems increasingly likely he will stay for the remainder of the season.

Asked how he feels about having a game during the busiest part of the transfer window, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “We had a very similar one against Brentford, in the summer.

“But it was different because the market closed and we were playing the next day.

“This one is even more weird I would say, because the last hours is when you are playing the game.

“It is really strange. For me it is the first time it happens.

“I don’t like it, as a manager, because for me the worst parts of the season are at the end of August and the end of January.

“There are situations where you travel with players that you really don’t know if they are going to play tomorrow or not. I don’t like these situations.

“I want to arrive on February 2 and know what we are and what we can do until the summer.”

He added: “It is going to be very difficult for everyone. It happened in the summer, the day before Brentford away, there were a couple of situations with players.

“Jaidon finally ended up leaving, Sini finally arrived, situations that are difficult to deal with, because we are travelling now. We are going to the hotel. Everyone available is going to travel.

“I will be focused on West Ham, to prepare for the game, but it is obvious that these things are on the minds of everyone.”

This transfer window has seen five players exit the club, with two recalled from loan spells as the only additions to the squad.

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James Hill and Romain Faivre are back from Blackburn Rovers and FC Lorient respectively, while Hamed Traore (Napoli), Emiliano Marcondes (Hibernian), David Brooks and Joe Rothwell (Southampton) have gone out on loan. Nathan Moriah-Welsh has been sold to Hibs permanently.

Asked yesterday if he would be happy with the club’s winter business if nothing else happened before tonight’s deadline, Iraola said: “I don’t want to talk too much, because I will evaluate the market when it ends.

“It is no good for me if I tell you one thing today and then tomorrow I am thinking differently. We will see.

“We have to wait one day and see how it ends, then we will see how we end comparing to how we started the market.”

Asked how likely it was Cherries would bring more players in, Iraola added: “I don’t know the chances. Everything moves in the last minutes.

“It is an uncomfortable situation. We also have a game (tonight) so I am not working on these deals. I am not focusing on this side.

“I understand your questions, but whenever it finishes, I will evaluate how we are, who is in, who is out and what we have.

“Right now, in my mind, it is only West Ham. But of course there are more people involved in the club who are dealing with the rest. We will see how it finishes.”

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One area Cherries do look light is at right-back. Adam Smith has returned to fitness after three games out injured, but neither James Hill (ankle) nor Max Aarons (hamstring) are expected to return until March.

The club’s only other senior right-back Ryan Fredericks is still nowhere near being available as he continues to battle calf problems.

Asked if the club will try and sign a right-back on deadline day, Iraola said: “I think Adam is available and he is training with the group. It is an advantage for us.

“At least if he feels well and everything goes well, we can count with him.

“But I don’t know what is going to happen in these hours. I don’t know.”

Follow all the deals as they do or do not happen with our live deadline day blog, at the top of the sport page of our website throughout the day.