Bournemouth, Jul 21 (IANS): AFC Bournemouth have announced that defender Illia Zabarnyi has been rewarded with a new contract with the club and has put pen-to-paper on a new five-year deal, keeping him at Vitality Stadium until at least the summer of 2029.

The contract extension comes off the back of a sublime 2023-24 campaign for the 21-year-old, who played an instrumental role in helping the Cherries to a club-record Premier League points tally of 48 which saw them finish 12th in the table.

“I'm so excited and so happy to be here. I'm really enjoying it, it's a beautiful town and a really exciting project. I've enjoyed a lot of good moments, last season was important for me. We achieved a record points total but we can do more, it's a really great place to be and I'm pleased to extend my stay," said Zabarnyi in a statement.

Zabarnyi played 90 minutes in all but one of the club’s top-flight fixtures last season, keeping eight clean sheets in the process. As well as being a talisman in defence for the Cherries, the Kyiv-born star also scored a pivotal goal in AFC Bournemouth’s memorable home victory over Luton Town in March.

His reaction header helped Andoni Iraola’s side come from three goals down to beat Luton Town 4-3, the Cherries becoming only the fifth team in Premier League history to win after overturning a 3-0 deficit. That performance also ensured the club won the Premier League’s Most Improbable Comeback award for 2023-24.

Following his club campaign, the former Dynamo Kyiv man then represented his country, playing every minute for Ukraine in their Euro 2024 group fixtures.