Why Grzegorz Krychowiak would be the ideal man to partner Jefferson Lerma
Bournemouth put an end to their four-game losing streak in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town to climb up to 7th in the standings but lost 4-0 to Liverpool this weekend. Nevertheless, the victory would have meant a lot to Eddie Howe and his team.
Bournemouth have already exceeded all expectations this season and Eddie Howe should be extremely pleased with his team’s performances against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal even though they fell short by a narrow margin.
Much of Bournemouth’s success this season has been down to the exploits of their front trio of Callum Wilson. Joshua King and Ryan Fraser. While Callum Wilson is amongst the top-scorers in the Premier League with 8 goals to his name, Ryan Fraser has a whopping 7 assists.
In other words, Bournemouth’s front three have established themselves as one of the deadliest attacking forces in the Premier League.
While the front three have stolen most of the limelight, Bournemouth’s club-record signing Jefferson Lerma has risen to the occasion as well, dictating terms in the centre of the park with his strength, tenacity, tackling and flawless passing. In all honesty, the Colombian has been one of the cornerstones of their success so far.
Lerma has done exceptionally well but he has run short of efficient partners in central midfield. Dan Gosling has featured in a box-to-box role alongside him but he is not really up to the Premier League standards.
Andrew Surman is not highest quality either and the fact that he is already on the wrong side of 30 should prompt Eddie Howe to dip into the transfer market for alternatives. Highly-rated English youngster Lewis Cook has been a regular in the first-team but he hasn’t really lived up to the expectations so far.
Suffice to say, Bournemouth need another quality central midfielder to secure a Europa League spot next season and Lokomotiv Moscow’s Grzegorz Krychowiak perfectly fits the bill at the Vitality Stadium.
Krychowiak, who played every minute of Poland’s campaign at the 2018 World Cup and 2016 European Championship, was signed by Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 after three fruitful seasons in the La Liga with Sevilla.
However, he played just 11 games for PSG in the 2016/17 season before being sent on loan to West Brom for the 2017/18 season. After doing reasonably well in the Premier League last season, West Brom were relegated and the Polish international was once again loaned out, to Lokomotiv Moscow for the 2018/19 season.
Quite clearly, he has been deemed surplus to PSG’s requirementes and a move away from the club would be a win-win situation for both parties.
A hugely experienced defensive midfielder, the 28-year-old is capable of playing as a centre-back as well. Krychowiak has a decent technique and is adept at breaking up the play with crucial tackles and interceptions.
He is also a very good passer of the ball and excels with his ball distribution skills in central midfield. Furthermore, the veteran is also a good reader of the game in the air, an attribute that is a sine qua non for a defensive midfielder in the Premier League.
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Krychowiak has averaged 1.5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game in the Russian top-flight this season. Furthermore, he has averaged 49.4 passes per game with an accuracy of 79.8%, including 4.7 successful long balls per game, figures which speak volumes of his all-around ability as a defensive midfielder.
Hence, Bournemouth should make a move for him in January or next summer as he has all the experience in the world to complement and bring the best out of Jefferson Lerma in central midfield.