Liverpool Opinion: Signing Ryan Fraser would endanger Shaqiri’s future at the club
According to Evening express, Liverpool have joined the race to sign Ryan Fraser from Bournemouth in the summer transfer window, with Spurs, Arsenal, Man United and Everton all in the mix to land the 25-year-old.
Fraser has only 12 months left on his contract at the south coast and has refused to put pen to paper on a new deal, meaning that the Cherries face the risk of losing their star man in just about a year’s time. (h/t Evening Express)
Bournemouth might be forced to cash in on the talented winger in the summer to raise some valuable funds and Liverpool are weighing up a £30 million deal to bring the 25-year-old to Anfield in the summer, the Evening Express understands.
Fraser was one of the standout performers in the Premier League this term, as the Scottish international finished the season with 7 goals and 14 assists to his name. Bournemouth secured an unimpressive 14th-place finish, despite showing plenty of promise but Fraser held his own and caught the eye with some scintillating individual performances.
Fraser rose to prominence with Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen before joining Bournemouth in League One back in 2013. He has been a part of the club’s journey through the divisions over the years and has played a key role in their metaphoric rise up the football pyramid.
The 25-year-old showed strong signs of promise in his first two seasons in the Premier League but he really came into his own this term and it is certainly an incredible achievement for any player playing outside the top-six to rack up such awe-inspiring numbers.
Fraser’s stellar run of form hasn’t gone unnoticed and several of the top-six clubs have been credited with an interest in the tricky winger.
To put things into perspective, Ryan Fraser has progressed by leaps and bounds over the last few years and he certainly deserves to play for a top club in the Premier League.
In fact, all the aforementioned clubs would relish having an impact player like him in their ranks. Liverpool, however, should give this move a second chance.
Well, it is beyond doubt that Fraser has the quality to make a positive impact anywhere in English football but the main question is- Do Liverpool really need him? And, would he be an upgrade on their existing options?
The answer to that would be No. With all due respect to Fraser’s abilities, he is not the sort of player Liverpool should be looking at, simply because he won’t add anything extra to what they already have. As good a player as he is, Jurgen Klopp certainly won’t have the Scotsman ahead of Sadio Mane in the pecking order next season.
If the Reds are really looking at him as a squad player or someone to just play a bit-part role in the first-team, the £30 million price tag makes little sense for that matter.
He is one of the stars at Bournemouth and the Cherries would probably be determined to get a good price for him, meaning that Liverpool are likely to have to break the bank to sign him.
Moreover, bringing in Fraser would jeopardise the futures of Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi at the club. Liverpool splashed just £13 million to bring in Shaqiri from Stoke City last summer and the Swiss international has proven himself to be one of the biggest bargains in the Premier League, contributing with 6 goals and 5 assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.
Shaqiri didn’t play too many games in the second half of this past season but that is hardly his fault given that Klopp was happy to stick with his preferred trio up front. And when Shaqiri and Origi needed to step up, they rose to the occasion in a splendid manner and on the biggest stage of it all against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Both Shaqiri and Fraser are similar sorts of players, although the Swiss international is a bit more versatile, with his ability to play on either flank and through the centre as a supporting striker.
Fraser is predominantly a left-sided player and he is going to find it extremely hard to dislodge a stalwart like Mane in the pecking order. A player of Shaqiri’s calibre has struggled for playtime and Fraser can hardly expect any better.
Liverpool fell agonisingly short of Man City in pursuit of their first domestic title since 1990 but, in all honesty, it had nothing to do with the quality of their squad.
City had their moments and rode their fair share of luck in the title race and the Reds should consider themselves extremely unlucky, having lost only a single game in the Premier League all season.
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If Liverpool are really serious about bringing in new faces, the Reds should consider moving for a new out-and-out centre-forward to compete with Roberto Firmino for a spot in the first team, whilst a back up for Robertson at left-back should also be high on Klopp’s recruitment list.
The acquisition of Fraser looks good on paper but it would only add to Liverpool’s wage bills and they can certainly do without him.
