Football postponement a blessing in disguise for pending free-agent Ryan Fraser
Ryan Fraser is set to be a free agent this summer, and despite not being on the pitch these days, he could benefit from the COVID-19 delay in the long-term.
If you ask Ryan Fraser whether he would prefer to be on the pitch for Bournemouth right now rather than locked up at home due to COVID-19, there’s no doubt that he would say ‘absolutely!’. In fact, I think any sane person would prefer to be leading a normal life right now rather than this crazy, ever-changing one that is unfolding before our eyes.
Football clubs and leagues are struggling too. Unless you’re one of the top clubs in world football, then it’s likely that matchday revenue is a large chunk of your financial income. Without that, many clubs are struggling.
Not that the top clubs are completely exempt from this struggle – they will have to cut back on expenses for the foreseeable future as well. This has led many to believe, and rightfully so, that the value of players on the transfer market will decrease significantly, somewhat reversing the massive inflation that has taken place in the past 4 years.
For Ryan Fraser, this will actually be a blessing in disguise, despite the fact that the tricky, creative Scottish winger would no doubt prefer to be on the pitch right now. Fraser is not a world-beater, but he’s still young, he has been a good, consistent Premier League player for a while now, and oh yeah, he’s a free agent this summer.
Ryan Fraser to Arsenal for free, is something I can get behind. We are blessed in that position and transfer funds can be diverted to other pressing positions. He'll most likely be a squad player and depth is important.
— Stephen (@TILIKI_OS) April 6, 2020
If the transfer market stayed the same, there wouldn’t be too many top clubs interested in Ryan Fraser’s signature. There are better options out there, perhaps not as many as some seem to think, but there are definitely some. Clubs have also been willing to spend ridiculous money on players in recent years.
With COVID-19 decreasing player values, even the biggest clubs will be on the lookout for bargain deals this summer that could ease the pressure on their chequebooks while also helping the team out on the pitch. Someone with Ryan Fraser’s quality is going to be hot property as a free-agent, and I could certainly see clubs who wouldn’t normally have shown a ton of interest, like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Spurs, come into the fray with offers for the player.
Next. Coutinho fee could drop due to COVID-19. dark
Of course, all of this is speculative. We still aren’t exactly sure what sort of effect all of this will have on the transfer market, and more specifically, the spending ability of the top clubs, but if things continue the way they are right now, you can expect Ryan Fraser to benefit from his nonexistent price tag this summer.