Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe believes the club’s future remains very strong, despite having to endure some short-term pain of running at a loss.
The latest set of club accounts showed a deficit of £10.9million for the year ending June 30 2018, which compared to a previous profit of £14.6m.
With a capacity of around 11,400, the Vitality Stadium is the smallest ground of any current Premier League side and is not owned by the club.
The Cherries hope eventually to be able to relocate to a new home once a suitable site is identified, and will press on with developing a new state-of-the-art training complex.
Howe – who as a player helped with bucket collections as the south-coast club tried to keep afloat – accepts there are still hurdles ahead as Bournemouth look to remain established among the elite.
“I think at this football club we’re slightly different to everyone else in the Premier League and we have been on our own journey to this point,” Howe said.
“Operating at a financial loss is never something we want to do, but I think there’s going to be some short-term pain for the club until we can move to a bigger ground and increase our revenue streams in different ways.
“We are still going through a phase where we are in transition with the team and trying to recruit younger players, so the long-term side of the squad is in a good place – that will cost money at this level.
“There are other costs involved in there as well which the club have taken a hit on, but I think the long-term prospects are very strong.”
Howe added at a press conference: “The club has never been in such a strong position, in my opinion, but we still have hurdles to overcome.
“The training ground is a big push of mine, that we are trying to complete on and move that forward, and of course the stadium.”
Howe rejected suggestions Bournemouth could be forced to sell in the summer to balance the books, with the likes of midfielder David Brooks having been linked with a big-money move away.
“From a financial viewpoint, now, I don’t think this affects our vision and ability to hold on to players,” the Bournemouth manager said at a press conference.
“I can never sit in this seat and say 100 per cent certain what is going to happen, because it is football and you never know what is going to happen.
“My aim is to try to take the team forward and keep all of our players together and try to achieve some more special things next season.”
Bournemouth return to Premier League action at Leicester on Saturday, looking to finish the campaign on a high.
“We are still right in the phase of the season where anything is possible, there are still a lot of points to play for. A lot can change in seven games,” Howe said.
