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Eddie Howe Unable to Guarantee Ryan Fraser Bournemouth Stay Amid Arsenal Rumours
August 3, 2019
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has said he cannot guarantee Ryan Fraser will be at the football club beyond the summer transfer window amid speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal.
Fraser has developed into a key player for the Cherries and enjoyed the best season of his career in the 2018-19 term.
Unsurprisingly, there have been links to some of the best teams in the Premier League, with the Gunners mentioned earlier in the window.
When asked about whether Bournemouth would be able to keep their star winger before Thursday's deadline, Howe was non-committal, per Liam Grace of Sky Sports: "I never make guarantees to anybody. It's football and you never know what can happen. As we stand here now, I'm very insistent we keep the team together. It's vitally important that we do."
Howe said earlier in pre-season that the club have not yet received any significant bids for their key players:
Per Grace, Arsenal were mentioned frequently in association with Fraser earlier in the window, although they are said to have "cooled" their interest in the Scotland international. The 25-year-old has one year left on his contract at the Vitality Stadium.
In June, when speculation about Fraser was at its most intense, Bournemouth released a statement in which they confirmed the offer of a new long-term contract was on the table for the winger. However, he's not yet committed his future to the club.
James Dall suggested the reported £40 million asking price for Fraser would have been too much to spend:
It's understandable that Bournemouth value the winger highly, though, as he's become a vital creative force in their XI.
Fraser found a level of consistency in the Premier League that few wingers can match. The Scotsman's decision-making was massively improved, as he was much more aware of when to release the ball, feed team-mates or take shots at goal himself.
The following graphic from WhoScored.com summed up just how productive he was for Bournemouth in the top flight:
Fraser has also developed an excellent understanding with team-mate Callum Wilson, and the club's official Twitter account summed up how effective they are as a duo:
As things stand, Bournemouth supporters will be confident of keeping their creator-in-chief, as it would be a challenge for the club to find a replacement at this late stage in the window.
It would also be a surprise if Arsenal were to make a move for the player in the coming days. Manager Unai Emery has already been able to strengthen his attacking setup with the acquisition of Nicolas Pepe from Lille, who cost the Gunners a club-record £72 million, per BBC Sport.