Ben Doak in shirt name change as Premier League club announce £25m signing of Scotland winger from Liverpool

The 19-year-old winger has signed a five-year deal with the Cherries with Liverpool including a buy-back option in the deal which gives them first option of signing him back in the future.

Bournemouth beat competition from several clubs to secure his signature with Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Porto all credited with an interest in the player this summer.

In a surprising twist, the south coast club announced the signing of Ben Gannon Doak with the teenager said to have requested the new moniker in order to reflect both parents' names moving forward.

“I’m buzzing to be here,” Doak said of joining Andoni Iraola’s side, where he will link up with Scotland team-mate Ryan Christie. “I feel like it’s the right time for me and it’s a great opportunity to play regular football at the highest level. The team play very nice football. It’s fast and it really suits my game, so I felt like I couldn’t say no to the chance to play here.”

‘Exciting young talent’

Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth’s head of football operations, told the club website: “Ben is an exciting young talent who has shown his quality at the highest level despite his age. He brings pace and energy that will fit our model well and we’re thoroughly looking forward to helping him fulfil his potential at AFC Bournemouth. We’re pleased to bring another player into the club during this window as we continue to reinvest in the squad.”

Doak joined Liverpool from Celtic in 2022 for a compensation fee of £600,000 and went on to make 10 appearances for the Anfield side after being handed his debut by Jurgen Klopp aged 16. He enjoyed a productive loan spell with Middlesbrough last season, scoring three times and providing seven assists in 24 appearances for the Championship club before a thigh injury prematurely ended his campaign in February.

Doak also became a full Scotland international last term, earning six caps after making his senior debut as a substitute against Poland at Hampden last September following his promotion from the Under-21s.

The latest departure from Liverpool means the Premier League champions have passed the £200million mark in player sales this summer as Doak follows Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher and Jarell Quansah out of the club.