One of the unsung heroes of the Premier League this season was Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser, who helped his side to a mid-table finish. The diminutive winger finished second in the most assists list for the 2018-19 Premier League season with 14 assists, which was just one less than the leading name, Eden Hazard. And now his fantastic season may be rewarded with a move to the high-flying Liverpool team, as per a report on Bournemouth Echo.
The 25-year-old winger, who signed for Bournemouth in 2013 from Scottish side Aberdeen, could be available for £30 million in this transfer window, even though he has just one year remaining on his current contract with the Cherries.
Manager Eddie Howe recently revealed that Fraser is more valuable to them in his side than the money that they could get from selling him, which possibly indicates that only a big bid could result in the Scottish winger leaving the club.
Is signing Fraser a shrewd move by Klopp?
A quick, skilful dribbler, Fraser primarily plays on the left, using his right foot to cut in and put in crosses and passes into the box. The 5’4″ winger has the intelligence and technique to put through balls into the forwards from wide areas, with his low centre of gravity allowing him to move swiftly away from defenders.
Fraser could be a very useful player for the Reds as they need some reinforcements in the wide areas. A good crosser of the ball, the Scotsman often causes havoc in the box with his teasing crosses. He can also chip in with goals as he has shown in this year’s campaign, scoring 9 times in all competitions for Bournemouth.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hasn’t used Adam Lallana much this year as Sadio Mane has played most games in the wide left position, which could see Lallana leave Anfield. The returning Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, who has been out due to a long-term injury, can also offer another option for the German manager out wide but it remains to be seen how effective he can be after his return from such a lengthy layoff and whether he will be deployed in an out and out attacking role on the wings.
Fraser would be a good signing, especially given the fast forwards that Klopp usually prefers. While he also has a good understanding of the league, which is an added bonus over anyone who could be coming in from overseas thus invariably requiring the need for a settling-in period which, given the level of competition in the league right now, can have an impact on teams who cannot afford to leave any room for error.