Former Norwich City man Andrew Surman admits he had his heart set on Bournemouth switch

Surman rejected the chance to be part of Neil Adams' Championship promotion push to link up again with Eddie Howe on the south-coast.

The 28-year-old was a frustrated spectator at Carrow Road for the recent 1-1 league draw between the teams before sealing a three-year move in a deal which could be worth up to £1m to his old club.

Cherries' boss Howe had rescued the out-of-favour Surman last season with a season-long loan stint after a frustrating bit-part role at Norwich.

'It was massive for me to get that chance,' he said. 'Chris Hughton came in at Norwich and I wasn't really in his plans and then I got a bad injury which killed me for the rest of that season. Obviously going to Bournemouth I hoped to play games and learn a lot off the manager and I did that. I played a couple of slightly different roles to what I was used to and thankfully I played 30-odd games and you need that to get your sharpness back and I felt I was getting back to my best.'

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Surman, speaking to Bournemouth's official site, is convinced the Cherries can sustain a promotion tilt after underlining their credentials at Carrow Road ahead of the international break.

'I think you saw in the game, they at least held their own and possibly could have gone on and won it,' he said. 'They were impressive and it didn't surprise me the way they went about their business.

'I'm sure we'll get a lot of accolades if we manage to maintain that. It was a bit strange to be watching with all the rumours so I was just pleased to get the deal done and now be part of a club that is going places.

'I'm buzzing to be back because I really enjoyed my time last season. I think when I looked back over the summer I realised then I wanted to be here and I had a massive respect for the manager and the players.'

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