28 Jul 2026 10:43:19
Must say am very very surprised by the amount of votes Rayan got as the prefered RW target on the poll on here with over 400 votes. Be honest how many of you have even watched him play? Kroupi was the standout for Bournemouth last season and the only reason Rayan even played in the World Cup was injury to Raphinha.

Needless to say he did nothing and was completely anonymus. Complete waste of money imo. Maybe in 2 years time but right now we need someone to "slot" right in! Munoz looks very good on the RW. Play him, avoid Rayan, another super overrated Brazilian.

1.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 11:13:55
Are you the thought police? Do you want to put up a vote asking people, do they really know enough about football for your liking?

Then, you can ban all those who don't pass your test.

Maybe Rayan wasn't great at the WC. But that's your opinion.

2.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 11:18:36
I think we're all entitled to our opinion. Some will be more popular than others. But can we tone down the criticism? Over the top stuff should be left to Twatter and Faceplant.

3.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 11:20:55
The options in the vote included two players who actually play RW, hence the results. It's always gonna get skewed when the parameters are like that.

4.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 11:30:10
So you can have an opinion, Molby, but I can't? That is amazingly hilarious. You rate him, I don't, there is zero reason to behave like a child "mate".

5.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 11:31:14
ArneSlotsBarber, well that's your opinion, man - looks like 220 disagree and so do I... Rayan's raw potential impresses me, and if AI wants him having worked with him then I don't need any more convincing.

6.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 11:37:28
Molbyslostgoal, you must see the irony in your comment? Just as people are allowed to pick Rayan in the poll, ASBarber is also allowed to express why he thinks Rayan is a bad choice and question how many times people have seen him play. Even the most die hard Bournemouth fan has surely only seen him a maximum of 10 times live in person or on TV.

I trust Iraola, and he allegedly wants Rayan. I am equally as concerned as ASBarber is, though, about paying big money for him.



There's just been so many teenagers who looked good over 10-15 games and then faded out very quickly. Rico Lewis, Jack Rodwell, Kobbie Mainoo, Adnan Januzaj, Stefan Bajcetic, Anthony Martial, Estevao, Tariq Lamptey, Julio Enciso, Destiny Udogie, Ethan Nwanieri, Miles Lewis-Skelly, Jon Flanagan etc.

Not everyone kicks on like Wayne Rooney or Cesc Fabregas. So why go big on such a risky acquisition to replace the best Liverpool forward since Ian Rush?

7.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 12:01:10
I like Rayan's potential. And I have seen him play and he was excellent in the game I watched for Bournemouth.

Looked a bit overwhelmed in the Brazil team. Like he was meant to find the big players like Vini with the ball rather than own the situation himself.



He is still very young.

Add to that the alternative options weren't great, I think it was a pretty clear choice.

8.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 12:03:26
I think Lewis Kelly is actually a decent player myself, and 60 something games in the PL & CL is decent for a 19 year old. Mainoo too. ?‍♂️
While players like Martial (300 major games) and Udogie, 150 games so far and 27 games last season, are certainly not teenagers that have faded very quickly.

9.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 12:05:08
He's clearly a good player, and he has the physique to thrive in the prem. He also has all the qualities we would want - he loves running in behind, he is incredibly strong and tall, he runs at defenders, he looks like he has good ball striking technique, is good in the air and he has played center forward before in Brazil.

Whether he's worth 100m or not is a very valid question, though.

10.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 12:06:59
For a 19 yo, Rayan has the sizing, speed, workrate and hunger.

Can play CF and hold on his own, yet has a high ceiling. Expensive indeed, but there's a real player there. Can be world class if he gets his head down and works hard.

11.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 12:13:36
I'm sure Rayan bullied a certain Scottish left back out of possession and assisted for a goal during the World Cup. But if you class that as "nothing" then that's up to you.

What did Kroupi and Diomande do at the World Cup?

Like MKS said, I trust Iraola's judgement over my own and everyone else on the internets.

12.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 12:07:41
With rayan ed1 you have stated with Brighton, Bournemouth set up, they play these type of players first team football and then don't stand in there way if a bigger club comes in? I may have this wrong but be good to know

{Ed001's Note - yes, but they like to keep them for a bit first. However, they rarely stand in the way of a move as making it difficult can put off other players from joining.}

13.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 13:04:59
Not saying they all became bad players, Irish Rover, but Lewis-Skelly, for example, when he first broke through, everyone was saying he was the new Ashley Cole, and then one year later he's only played 600 League minutes for Arsenal all season, and he's left out of the England squad for Chalobah and Spence who aren't even LB's.

I probably chose the wrong terminology though with "faded out". What I meant was that the hype died out. Martial, for example, was supposed to be a superstar and although he went on to play a lot of games and score plenty of goals, he never came close to living up to the initial expectation. Mainoo is another similar story.

When he first broke through there were comparisons to Zidance, Pirlo and Seedorf. Next thing you know, he can't get a game for England ahead of 35 year old Jordan Henderson. Udogie was initially the envy of the whole league and I remember people going overboard with how brilliant him and Porro were inverting into midfield under Postecoglu. Now Udogie is being replaced by 32 year old Robertson.

My point is, Rayan might be having a good spell right now, but a lot of (probably most) teenagers never reach their full potential so spending a lot of money on them is a dangerous game. Lazar Markovic (aka the Serbian Messi) comes to mind.

14.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 13:33:43
"When he first broke through there were comparisons to Zidance, Pirlo and Seedorf."


MKS, who was doing that? If it's United fans then, forget I asked. Those guys can get giddy over literally the very tiniest of anything United related.

15.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 13:56:53
"Zidance".
I like that terminology, reflects well on his balance and grace. ?

16.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 14:00:51
OliRed, not just the fans, mate. The pundits were doing it too. Paul Scholes said he had footwork like Zidane, and Rio Ferdinand said he was going to be as good as Seedorf. Shappy on the United page compared him to Pirlo, and then they all jumped on the bandwagon.

17.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 15:23:16
If you must know, I voted for Rayan because I trust in the manager. Outside of Olse, there's not a single RW I actually want. The talent pool is all dried up, and the options are bleak, so if Iraola thinks Rayan is the way to go, then I back him. Personally I'd be going for somebody who's put up numbers the last 2 seasons in a European league, but it's still a toss-up between a bad lot, so let Andoni cook, I say.



MK, I mean, if you're actually paying attention to what ex-manc players say, that's your own fault. Scholes and Ferdinand, of all people... if they told me the sky was blue, I wouldn't believe them.

18.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 16:05:39
I think the bigger issue here is the lack of available RWs to choose from. This is why Rayan has made the list and people are excited about his potential. Nobody has seen enough of him up to now to say he'll replace Salah effectively (that doesn't mean he'll be as good as Salah).


Another challenge is how crazy the market is, meaning average players or those with potential can go for 100m. Even if there was a player out there who could replace Salah directly, he'd likely cost 250m+ which no one would pay.

19.) 28 Jul 2026
28 Jul 2026 18:22:41
Cheers ed1 thought I remembered what you had said