Due to his small size, it's sometimes hard to distinguish as to whether Ryan Fraser is a Bournemouth player, or rather a ball-boy who has managed to sneak on to the pitch. However, even at the young age of 19 his record is extremely impressive.
His January 2013 400,000 pound transfer from Scottish Premier League outfit Aberdeen was a big move for the young Scot, although so far it looks like it is paying off. Born and raised in Aberdeen, Fraser rose through the ranks at his local club and went on to make 21 first team appearances for The Dons, although many of those came from the subs bench. A small, tricky winger Fraser was almost certainly unheard of by most Bournemouth fans when he made the long move to the English south coast aged only 18.
In an interview with the Scottish Sun, Fraser explains some his reasoning behind deciding to join The Cherries: 'I went down and met Eddie. He showed me to the stadium, the training ground and took me on a two-hour tour of Bournemouth.The people were nice to me and everything was perfect. I thought ‘This is definitely for me'. Fraser added: 'I see League One as a challenge that will push me. I thought about it when I first came down and I reckoned this is really good club which has got a really good chance of getting promoted to the Championship. And I could be getting a regular game to improve myself.'
However, life at Bournemouth has not been a breeze for Fraser. He has only made 5 appearances so far, although injuries and the form of Marc Pugh and Matt Ritchie have limited his chances to established a starting spot. But this summer at the 2013 Euro Elite competition Fraser was a regular for the Scotland U19 team, with coach Ricky Sbagria labelling his performances as 'outstanding'. Although Bournemouth's promotion to The Championship provides a challenging step up for a young player like Fraser, it is easy to see him becoming a key part of the team next season. As we found out this year, a few injuries to key players can have a seriously detrimental impact on the performance of the whole team. If Matt Ritchie or Marc Pugh suffer an injury or loss of form, there's no doubt that Fraser will be ready to take his chance. It's also possible that Ritchie may move on, with many clubs rumoured to be interested in the former Swindon player.
I think that we'll see a lot more of Ryan next season. Wes Fogden is not a natural 'winger' meaning that although he's ideal to bring on when you need a tireless worker, Fraser is a more obvious fit into Eddie Howe's style of play. His speed and direct style may have more of an impact in The Championship, where Bournemouth are no doubt going to utilise more counter-attacking play than before. It's noticeable that all 3 teams promoted from The Championship (probably out of our reach) had dangerous wingers at their disposal, such as Craig Noone, Wilfried Zaha and Robbie Brady. It's important that Ryan is developed with patience, but I hope, and think that he will become an important player for us next season.
His January 2013 400,000 pound transfer from Scottish Premier League outfit Aberdeen was a big move for the young Scot, although so far it looks like it is paying off. Born and raised in Aberdeen, Fraser rose through the ranks at his local club and went on to make 21 first team appearances for The Dons, although many of those came from the subs bench. A small, tricky winger Fraser was almost certainly unheard of by most Bournemouth fans when he made the long move to the English south coast aged only 18.
In an interview with the Scottish Sun, Fraser explains some his reasoning behind deciding to join The Cherries: 'I went down and met Eddie. He showed me to the stadium, the training ground and took me on a two-hour tour of Bournemouth.The people were nice to me and everything was perfect. I thought ‘This is definitely for me'. Fraser added: 'I see League One as a challenge that will push me. I thought about it when I first came down and I reckoned this is really good club which has got a really good chance of getting promoted to the Championship. And I could be getting a regular game to improve myself.'
However, life at Bournemouth has not been a breeze for Fraser. He has only made 5 appearances so far, although injuries and the form of Marc Pugh and Matt Ritchie have limited his chances to established a starting spot. But this summer at the 2013 Euro Elite competition Fraser was a regular for the Scotland U19 team, with coach Ricky Sbagria labelling his performances as 'outstanding'. Although Bournemouth's promotion to The Championship provides a challenging step up for a young player like Fraser, it is easy to see him becoming a key part of the team next season. As we found out this year, a few injuries to key players can have a seriously detrimental impact on the performance of the whole team. If Matt Ritchie or Marc Pugh suffer an injury or loss of form, there's no doubt that Fraser will be ready to take his chance. It's also possible that Ritchie may move on, with many clubs rumoured to be interested in the former Swindon player.
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| Fraser in action for Aberdeen |
I think that we'll see a lot more of Ryan next season. Wes Fogden is not a natural 'winger' meaning that although he's ideal to bring on when you need a tireless worker, Fraser is a more obvious fit into Eddie Howe's style of play. His speed and direct style may have more of an impact in The Championship, where Bournemouth are no doubt going to utilise more counter-attacking play than before. It's noticeable that all 3 teams promoted from The Championship (probably out of our reach) had dangerous wingers at their disposal, such as Craig Noone, Wilfried Zaha and Robbie Brady. It's important that Ryan is developed with patience, but I hope, and think that he will become an important player for us next season.
