Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser has been linked with Arsenal.
Bournemouth captain Simon Francis has told the Daily Echo that he thinks Ryan Fraser may have been thinking about other football clubs this season.
Fraser starred last season, emerging as one of the Premier League’s most creative players having racked up 14 assists as well as picking up seven goals.
The Scot was a man in demand over the summer, but he stayed put at Bournemouth, essentially deciding to run down the final year of his contract and see what offers arrived this summer.
Bournemouth haven’t been able to convince Fraser to stay, and the 25-year-old will be leaving the Cherries as a free agent come the end of the season.
Whether there is still huge interest in Fraser is another matter though. The Scot’s form has tailed off badly this season, registering just one goal and three assists this term.
Recently, Fraser has looked like getting back to his best, racking up 15 key passes in his last five games; in the previous five, he managed just five in total.
In January, The Mirror claimed that Arsenal are still keen on signing Fraser for free, which makes perfect sense given the Gunners’ limited budget and their need for a left winger.
The Mirror also believe West Ham United are keen on Fraser, and teammate Francis has now praised the winger for getting his form back, believing he is now ‘running more than ever’ and is showing his quality again.
Francis noted that Fraser was probably thinking about other clubs earlier this season, and the cynics may suggest that he is now back to his best because a big summer move may have been in doubt based on his performances.
“Wee Man sometimes gets a bit carried away in interviews, says things that he probably shouldn’t do, maybe keep under wraps,” said Francis. “But it’s hard for him. He was so good last season, clubs showing an interest in him and he’s still a young player. I’m sure his mind was at times thinking about other football clubs and that’s completely natural with his current situation.”
“I’m really glad that he’s determined now, he’s changed his focus and I think you can see that over the last few games. He’s running more than ever, he’s chasing things down, he’s been one of our best players over the last few weeks as well, showing his quality again. I’d love him to get back to the form that he was last season and I think he can do that, which is only going to help him,” he added.
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