Arsenal urged to snap up £27,000-a-week ‘creative, natural talent’, will soon cost Gunners nothing

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Arsenal cult hero Kevin Campbell has urged the Gunners to snap up Ryan Fraser on a free transfer when his Bournemouth contract runs out, in conversation with Metro.

The 26-year-old winger joined the Cherries in January 2013 from Aberdeen and has made 208 appearances for the south coast club, claiming 24 goals and 33 assists in that time, according to Transfermarkt.

Fraser was especially impressive last season for Bournemouth, registering seven goals and 14 assists in the Premier League.

This season, prior to the football shutdown, he wasn’t quite on the same level as last term – one goal and four assists – but there still appears to be plenty of interest in him, particularly as his contract is up in the summer.

According a report in 90min from March, Arsenal have reignited their interest from last summer, while Tottenham Hotspur and Everton are also contemplating approaches for the Scotland international.

“I just think there’s experienced players out there who won’t cost the earth who could do a job at Arsenal,” Campbell told Metro. “I think we need to be more of a team, and not look for the names. We’ve missed out on that for years.

“You can get Ryan Fraser on a free transfer, his assists for Bournemouth were double figures last year, I know he suffered injuries but he’s still been having a decent season.

“That’s playing for Bournemouth, when you’re playing for Arsenal, he’s going to get more of the ball in the positions he wants and give more opportunities, because there’s a lot more threats for Arsenal than some of these other teams.”

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Fraser may not be considered a marquee signing which would instantly generate a huge buzz around Arsenal, but with a current £27,000-a-week salary (Spotrac) and potential to be snapped up on a free, he would be a relatively inexpensive gamble for the Gunners.

Should he rediscover the form which saw him move into the spotlight last season, he would be an incredibly useful asset to Mikel Arteta considering the small outlay, and given he has extensive Premier League and Championship experience, he wouldn’t need getting up to scratch with the English game.

Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas rates his compatriot highly as a footballer, having previously described him as a “little pocket dynamo” with “creative, natural talent”, which is something to also be taken into consideration by the Gunners regarding his talent and potential.