At a glance:
- Jermain Defoe lauds Bournemouth’s Rayan
- Brazilian likened to Gareth Bale
- Tottenham failed to sign him in January
Tottenham’s January transfer window will go down in history for all the wrong reasons, especially if they get relegated.
Brennan Johnson was sold without a replacement and Mohammed Kudus’s injury wasn’t addressed, leaving the club short of options in attack.
Conor Gallagher and Souza joined the club, but it’s safe to say the North London club needed firepower in the final third, which has put them in the thick of the relegation battle.
Rayan was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham before eventually moving to Bournemouth to replace Antoine Semenyo, who secured a move to Manchester City in January.
And now, after his blistering start to life in England, former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe has likened him to Gareth Bale.
Rayan showing shades of Gareth Bale
Not much needs to be said about Bale, who is one of the most talented players in the history of Tottenham.
After bursting onto the scene as a left-back, the Welshman quickly became one of the most feared attackers in the Premier League before earning a world-record move to Real Madrid.
Read More: Tottenham 1-1 Leeds: Antonin Kinsky Leaves Igor Tudor Looking Foolish
Rayan, meanwhile, has taken to English football like a duck to water after joining the Cherries Brasileirao side Vasco da Gama in January.
And Defoe feels the Brazilian is already showing signs of Bale after his strong start to life on the south coast.
“He’s going to make a big statement,” said Defoe on Sky Sports after Rayan scored the solitary goal in Bournemouth’s 1-0 win against Fulham.
“He reminds me of Gareth Bale, to be honest. He plays so effortlessly.”
Rayan a huge miss for Tottenham
With Kudus out for the rest of the season and other attackers like Wilson Odobert also on the sidelines, Tottenham were crying out for a winger in January.
Read More: Roberto De Zerbi reveals what he told Mathys Tel immediately after Tottenham blunder
Rayan was available and secured a move to Bournemouth and has shown exactly why some of the biggest clubs in the world were after him.
His blistering pace, dribbling ability and calmness in front of goal have already been on display in the Premier League, with the Brazilian notching up five goals and two assists for the club.
The Bale comparisons might be premature, but we can honestly see where Defoe is coming from.
Purely in terms of his skill set, Rayan seems like an absolute superstar in the making. Time to file another name into the ‘one that got away’ category.
