It has been suggested for quite a while that Matt Ritchie wants to return to the south coast. His love affair with the Northeast looks over with his time spent mostly on the bench. He may have liked being up north when he was playing a big role in Scotland's team, but has not been selected in recent squads. Whether he still intends to have a punt at making the Euro Championships later this summer may depend on him getting a move and playing regular games, so I can see his interest in Bournemouth.
Bournemouth may have expected David Brooks to have moved or to have raised his game further than he has been able to this season. It may not hurt him to have some real competition for his place in the team and with Ritchie's free kick accuracy, it is never bad to have another deadball specialist in the squad. The question I have is, wouldn't Bournemouth benefit from bringing in more players that haven't been to the Premier League and who are hungry to get there like Ben Pearson.
I know some will grumble if Ritchie does return. Looking at the team at the moment, it needs quality because the price-tags of the current squad don't bear up to how they are performing. We know you get quality deliveries with Ritchie and it might be something that helps boost Solanke's service in front of goal. So Bournemouth might be just as much in need of an eager Ritchie, as Ritchie's own desire to open another chapter of his Bournemouth career.
Cherry Chimes' January Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. The newsletter has a special story - It's now or never for AFCB to push for the play-offs
It would definitely benefit Richie's game to be at Bournemouth (despite current team woes). At Newcastle, he seems to be constantly chasing, covering and harrying, which probably reflects their minimal possession stats. This can't be anyone's idea of fun, and certainly not someone of Ritchie's ability. I can't remember the last time I saw him have a shot at goal.
ReplyDelete