It is starting to look like we are going to be in a hell of a battle with Chelsea and Tottenham for the signature of Bournemouth star Ryan Fraser this summer.
We have been consistently linked with the 25-year-old, who is determined to move to a top-six club but it now appears that we will have to see off two of our most bitter rivals in order to land the playmaker.
As things stand right now we have a huge advantage over Chelsea due to their impending transfer ban, however, Tottenham cannot be so easily dismissed.
It had been thought that Fraser would run his contract down and leave at the end of next season on a free transfer but the latest report in the Mirror is claiming that the Scottish international wants to move this summer rather than waste another year in mid-table obscurity.
It is little wonder that he is in such demand, his statistics this season are excellent, he is joint top of the assists chart on 13 with Eden Hazard and above the likes of Christian Eriksen and Raheem Sterling which is all the more impressive when you consider what team he plays for.
Fraser will not necessarily cost an arm and a leg either, normally Bournemouth could demand a king’s ransom but not when the player has just a year left on his contract and if they play hardball then they will only have themselves to blame when they end up losing him for nothing.
My guess is that we will win the race to sign Fraser, he has already admitted he is flattered by the interest we have shown in him and I am not sure that Spurs would be prepared to get into a bidding war with us, that is not what the Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy does.
That said, if we fail to make next seasons Champions League then that could change everything.
He’s had a brilliant season.. I’d be happy if we got him… better than Mkhi/Iwobi
I know he wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but with the limited funds.. he’s 25, wouldn’t cost a fortune, he has PL experience.. him & Wilson combining are 1 goal/assist short of equalling the record set by Sutton/Shearer!!
Do it AFC
A very good player but why would he choose us over the others?
Chelsea can’t sign anyone even if they appeal the ban, so they have to wait for the appeal to pass before finding out whether their ban stays in place.
Imo Liverpool and the Manchesters have more chance of getting him. Spurs would love to rub it in though, because they won’t need to sell us anything 😉
There seems to be an obsession with statistics when assessing players these days.In the case of Fraser whom I know very well from his days with Aberdeen he has enjoyed a very good season and on his day he can be very effective.In my opinion however he is not a great player and will not improve Arsenal a great deal.He is industrious and energetic but he is not particularly quick and can barely kick a ball with his left foot.A good player but not in the same class as his team-mate Brooks.In any event we have two excellent young wingers in Nelson and Saka who just need the opportunity to produce the goods for Arsenal.Emery needs to trust these youngsters next season as we do not have the cash to buy top class finished articles.Like Ajax will prove tomorrow if they are good enough they are old enough.
I find it infuriating to see people belittle things they do not comprehend fully and stats is one of them. Now society has got tech to record more than ever, we can be learning more than ever by recording specifics and obtaining data points.
Stats record things, they are not opinionated or lie to try and tell a narrative.
Without the ability to record stats and then learn how to use them correctly, we would not be as advanced in society as we currently are, refusing to accept that they can do good is more harmful than keeping your gob shut.
being able to record the stats for players in situations can lead to knowing what a player can or can’t handle, meaning tactics could be developed to avoid the poor statistical areas.
“In my opinion however he is not a great player and will not improve Arsenal a great deal.”
How about back it up with stats comparing to Iwobi? Or will you refuse to look at facts and stick to belief? Belief is a very dangerous thing.
I’ll spew some for you though…
Ryan Fraser has created 23 big chances (according to EPL website), Iwobi has 9.
Ryan Fraser has put in 209 crosses while Iwobi has put in 34.
Ryan Fraser has 61% tackle success, Iwobi has 50%.
Ryan Fraser has 13 assists while Iwobi has 4.
“will not improve Arsenal a great deal.”
Yet in comparison to Iwobi we can see it would be a big improvement.
The moon doesn’t look that far away either does it?
Who needs to worry about the distance statistic…. It is just a stat right?
100% agree Grandad, Brooks is a much better proposition, unfortunately though I do not think either player would be a great signing, although both have potential at a reasonable cost.