Premier League elite have missed a trick with Bournemouth star who won seven duels vs Aston Villa
Bournemouth forward Rayan has got his Premier League career off to a stunning start at the Vitality Stadium.
Newcastle United attempted to hijack the deal for Rayan, but the Cherries ultimately saw off rival interest to bring the 19-year-old in.
The Brazilian scored 20 goals in 57 games across all competitions for Vasco da Gama last season, and is highly rated among the Brazil international team’s next great hopes.
Rayan starred by claiming the equaliser as Bournemouth drew 1-1 with Aston Villa on Saturday, finding the net with a driven effort.
Andoni Iraola had been under huge pressure at Bournemouth, but his side have now gone five games unbeaten in the Premier League.
The stats behind Rayan’s brilliant full debut
Rayan made his debut off the bench against Wolves last week, and there was immediate cause for Bournemouth fans to be excited.
In just 22 minutes, the forward created a couple of chances and picked up an assist by seeing off the challenge of Joao Gomes and driving into the box before firing across.
| Rayan | Vs Wolves |
| Minutes played | 22 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Successful dribbles | 1/1 |
| Duels won | 2/6 |
And it was that same desire to be direct that earned Rayan his first-ever Premier League goal on Saturday.
The 19-year-old picked up the ball and simply drove towards the goal, taking advantage of some woeful Lucas Digne defending to smash the ball into the bottom corner.
But that was not the extent of his involvement. The teenager hit the bar with a header in the first half, and took another shot on goal in the 87 minutes he featured.
Rayan would be substituted having created a chance, completed a dribble, had five touches in the opposition box, and been fouled twice.
On the defensive side, too, he put in work. The Brazilian made two recoveries and seven of the 12 duels he had.
What Andoni Iraola said about ‘amazing’ Rayan
Bournemouth secured a deal for Rayan worth around £30million, with the teenager signing a five-and-a-half-year deal.
Despite the hype surrounding the Brazilian, they faced very little competition for his signature, and will be extremely pleased by how he has started.
Speaking after Saturday’s game, Iraola said: “He’s an amazing player. I think Rayan can go inside, go outside, and I think when there is a space and he can go one-against-one with the defender, it is really difficult for the defender.
“He finishes it also really well. He’s still a young player, he still needs to adapt, to improve some things but if he does with the assist the other day, with the goal today, with numbers it’s always easier.”
The rest of the Premier League will be watching on with keen interest, too, although it appears that they have missed a trick when it comes to Rayan.