DUBBED Cherries’ local man, Jefferson Lerma will shortly be living outside of a BH postcode.

Although yet to be officially confirmed due to the red tape and regulations of pre-contract agreements for domestic-based players, Lerma will join Cherries’ Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in what some view as a sideways step.

When Lerma entered the final 12 months of his deal at Vitality Stadium, rumours suggested he hoped for a return to Spain, a country he has played in before, where his native tongue is spoken.

But at 28, there is the likelihood that the Colombian’s next move is his last chance of a big payday, a financially lucrative deal for his prime years.

Clubs on the continent cannot match the multi-millions of the Premier League.

Cherries did not undervalue their lynchpin.

They offered Lerma the same length of contract as Palace, a four-year commitment running until the end of the 2026-27 season.

Sometimes in football, and in life, a change of scenery is needed.

Who can say Lerma is undeserving of the opporunity to choose pastures anew after five years of near-exemplary service to Cherries.

Nowadays fans expect their club to “win” the transfer market just as much as they expect three points each week, with social media churning out new transfer targets and rumours long before Cherries had secured their spot in next season’s top-flight.

Pundits will declare deals amazing pieces of business before a ball has been kicked, teams’ entire seasons predicted on the basis of how much they have spent and who they have brought in.

Losing a player for free certainly does not fit the narrative of a successful transfer window, but there can be no suggestion that the club record fee of £25 million spent on Lerma in 2018 was anything but good business from Cherries.

In his time at Vitality Stadium, he has played under five bosses – and found himself as first-choice under each regime.

Barring a lack of discipline that has slowly been removed (but not completely eradicated) from his game, Lerma has been a consistent performer on a consistent basis.

The notion of the midfielder being injured seems foreign, his absence on a matchday notable and concern-provoking.

Since his arrival, no Cherry has played more minutes, made more appearances, or started more games than the Colombian.

Fans quickly became attached to the Colombian international for his bullish and brash style of play, flinging himself into tackles and involving himself in plenty of on-field “discussions” throughout the years.

Despite a relative lack of goals – his contribution of five strikes in the Premier League this season his highest since joining Cherries – Lerma is an entertainer, a player able to get fans out of seats and spark a roar from a crowd with his tenacity and antics.

There should also be appreciation for the fact that Lerma did not look to leave Cherries after their relegation back to the Championship in 2020.

Lerma had joined a Cherries side that had established themselves as a mid-table outfit in the Premier League, only to find himself in England’s second tier heading into the second half of his contract.

The fire sale of talents in the two years after relegation could have included Lerma.

Perhaps Cherries might not have been able to recoup their investment.

The departures of Callum Wilson, Aaron Ramsdale, Arnaut Danjuma, and Nathan Ake all produced relatively large margins of profit in comparison.

Whilst the spending power of the transfer market was shackled by COVID, there would have been no shortage of suitors showing concrete interest if Lerma had agitated for a move.

Even after Cherries failed to bounce back at the first time of asking, the Colombian stayed put.

Arguably, at the age of 26 and 27, a hefty chunk of Lerma’s prime years were being spent in the Championship.

It is quite often the case nowadays that contracts are hardly worth the paper they are written on.

Release clauses can offer players an instant get-out, whilst footballers know that the balance of power between clubs and their playing staff is heavily in the favour of the latter.

Even if a player is happy at their current club, it is rare they reach the end of their initial contract, fresh new terms offered regularly, way before the alarm bells ring in the press when a deal enters the final 18 months of its lifespan.

Quite simply, it is rare to see a player join a club and see out a deal in its entirety, without any drama or deviation.

From an accounting point of view, clubs operate on this presumption.

Usually, a transfer fee is amortised over the length of a contract in the club’s accounts.

It will be tough to find a cost-efficient replacement, and yes, a transfer fee to soften the blow of Lerma’s departure would have made replacing him that much easier.

However, there will be confidence with new-found millions from Bill Foley that Cherries can replace and even upgrade on Lerma, as farfetched as the notion sounds at this moment.