Liverpool journalist Matt Addison has been sharing his thoughts on a potential summer transfer swoop for AFC Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser.
This comes after it was recently reported that Fraser rejected a short term contract extension at the club and now looks set to leave Eddie Howe’s side on a free transfer when his current deal expires.
With the winger having been linked with a move to Anfield in the past, Addison shared his thoughts on this potential move on a recent episode of the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red podcast.
He said: “I think it’s one of those that if he wasn’t available on free, and it wasn’t the situation that we’re in, I don’t think there’d be any chance. I think there’s a slight possibility of it happening just because obviously, I would say that the situation that we’re in is that Liverpool will have to be a little bit more clever in the transfer market. But to be honest, I don’t think he’s quite at the level that he was.
“I think Liverpool over the past few years, even when there’s been deals that you think that might be one that they might go for, it’s always been that they’d wait and they’d go for the perfect player, rather than the one that might appear to make the most sense at that particular stage.
“I do think he’s a decent player. But you’ve got to be a little bit better than a decent player to come into this Liverpool team, and I can see that there’ll be plenty of interest around the Premier League. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble at all finding a club maybe a little bit further down. Maybe even someone like Wolves – I think he’d maybe suit someone like that a little bit more than Liverpool.
“It’s one of those which it does make sense in terms of being a free transfer, but I don’t think Liverpool are desperate to add, and if they do add, it will be probably a bigger upgrade than that. So yeah, it’s one of those that I suppose that the speculation makes sense a little bit more than some of the other mad rumours that we hear from time to time. But for me on this one, I’m just not completely sold.”
Would you take Ryan Fraser at Liverpool on a free transfer this summer?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
With Fraser having scored just one goal in his 28 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth this season, Addison may be right in suggesting that the 26-year-old isn’t good enough to play for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
However, if Liverpool were to take advantage of the fact that he could leave Bournemouth on a free transfer, he could turn out to be a useful squad player for the Reds because of his Premier League experience, having played 120 games for Bournemouth in the top-flight (per Transfermarkt).