Ahead of the 2016/17 Premier League we look at players whose absence last season had an impact, and how their return could improve the fortunes of their teams for the new campaign.
Callum Wilson
Having scored five goals in his first six matches as a Premier League player, Callum Wilson's electrifying start to 2015/16 was one that held great promise for AFC Bournemouth.
Premier League top scorers (1 Aug-26 Sep)
| Player | Club | Goals |
| Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | 6 |
| Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City | 5 |
| Callum Wilson | AFC Bournemouth | 5 |
| Odion Ighalo | Watford | 4 |
| Bafetimbi Gomis | Swansea City | 4 |
| Graziano Pelle | Southampton | 4 |
Coming off an impressive season in the Championship, where he scored 20 goals, the 24-year-old carried on his exploits to put himself among the early pace-setters for the Golden Boot.
But after suffering a serious knee injury against Stoke City on 26 September, the Cherries lost their danger man for a large portion of the campaign.
In Wilson's absence Eddie Howe's side were tasked with finding a way for a wider share of goals across the team.
The south-coast side managed this, going on to average 1.2 goals per match without Wilson in the side, the same as when he played.
AFC Bournemouth 2015/16 goal record
| With Wilson | Without Wilson | |
| 13 | Matches | 25 |
| 16 | Goals for | 29 |
| 1.2 | Ave goals for | 1.2 |
An impressive collective effort by AFC Bournemouth led to safety by five points, fuelled by back-to-back December victories over Chelsea and Manchester United.
But despite missing 25 matches, Wilson still finished as AFC Bournemouth's second top scorer with five goals, recording a team-high minutes-per-goal ratio of 154.
Only Josh King, who played 18 more times than Wilson, scored more, with six, so the Cherries will be delighted to have their forward back fit and firing for 2016/17.
