Bournemouth Deny Interest In Swedish Attacker: A Folly Or A Smart Move By Howe?

According to The Sun, Bournemouth have denied making a bid for Krasnodar midfielder Viktor Claesson. Expressen claimed that the Cherries were keen on the services of the Swedish international but as it seems, the Premier League outfit have denied any advances.

Having said that, Claesson has definitely been one of the best performers in the Russian Premier League last term and considering his impressive form in the World Cup 2018, should the Cherries actually make a move for the highly talented midfielder this summer?

Claesson, 26, initially started his professional career with IFK Varnamo before moving to Allsvenskan giants IF Elfsborg in 2012. During his time with Die Gule, the native from Varnamo scored 45 goals whilst providing 37 assists in 177 matches in all competitions. A record that earned him a move to Russian outfit FC Krasnodar last year.

Since arriving in Russia, Claesson has been no short of a revelation, despite a rather slow to start to his career. In fact, Krasnodar fans voted Claesson as their best player last season as his ten goals and eight assists fired his club to an impressive fourth-place finish.

Additionally, the 26-year-old also managed to replicate his form with the Swedish national team during the World Cup earlier this summer. He featured in all of Sweden’s five World Cup games as Die Sverige reached the quarterfinals – only to be beaten by England. As a result, Viktor Claesson has become one of the hot topics of this summer transfer window.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, will definitely welcome a new attacker this summer in order to further strengthen their offensive department. The Cherries currently boast the likes of Callum Wilson, Lys Mousset and Jermaine Defoe as part of their attacking arsenal.

But, at the age of 35, one would expect Defoe to undergo a steady deterioration in his performances from now on while Mousset has failed to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. Therefore, Wilson remains their only reliable option in attack next season. Hence, the addition of someone like Viktor Claesson could be a huge boost for the Cherries.

Even though the 26-year-old is not an out and out striker, his knack for scoring goals coupled with his creativity in the final third makes him an appealing target for Bournemouth. Additionally, he has also impressed in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup, which entails the fact that the Swedish international is certainly not bogged down by the pressure of playing on the grandest stage, which could potentially help him settle into life in the English top flight.

Stat courtesy: Transfermarkt