It’s always been the case that free agents have been able to ask for bigger wages and a sizeable signing on fee because the buying club is saving money on the transfer fee.
It’s likely that free agents will be in high demand this summer as finances are tight around the world, but it will be interesting to see if they get paid as much as they hope.
The Times (subscription required) has reported on the latest with Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser, with the Scotsman turning down a new deal and it means he’s now set to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the month.
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He’s been poor this season and it’s possible his main focus was getting a move, so it’s natural that he will worry about getting injured and that could impact on his performances.
The report suggests that Spurs and Arsenal are both showing an interest in him, but he wants more than £100k per week to sign.
They point out that it would be a sizeable increase from his current £27k per week deal, and it will be interesting to see if anyone offers him that.
At his best he’s a pacy winger who can cause problems on either side and his crossing can be fantastic, but he’s also diminutive and could get lost on the flank if a team doesn’t play to his strengths.
It’s not clear if Arsenal or Spurs have taken their interest to the next level and have actually offered him a deal yet, so it will be intriguing to see where he ends up.