Eddie Howe has insisted that he has "total belief" in his Bournemouth squad after deciding against bringing in any new recruits during the January transfer window.

The Cherries were the only Premier League side not to partake in incoming transfer activity, instead allowing two attacking players in Lewis Grabban and Benik Afobe to depart on deadline-day deals.

Bournemouth reportedly missed out on at least one player last month, however, with two bids rejected for Brentford centre-back Chris Mepham - the second worth £7m - but Howe is happy to push on with his current group until the end of the campaign.

Speaking to reporters at his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Stoke City on Saturday, Howe said: "I always maintained throughout the journey here that I have total belief in my players and I think that's the only way you can work.

"The aim for me has always been to improve the players that we have rather than look for new players to make a difference. It doesn't mean that the transfer marker isn't important to us. It was something we were continually looking at and seeing what possibilities there were for us in the market."

Bournemouth beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening in what Howe described as their "best" performance since earning promotion to the Premier League.