Rayan Vitor, the Cannon
Just days into his Bournemouth career, Rayan is already proving his credentials as Antoine Semenyo's replacement: but the best is yet to come.
In Antoine Semenyo, Bournemouth hit the jackpot. A relatively unheralded signing from Bristol City in the Championship, his three years at the south coast club established him as one of the best attackers in the Premier League. This season has seen him explode, score important goals against the biggest and best, and earn a move to Manchester City for more than £62 million.
As signings go, Semenyo was a slam dunk - and an advert for the glorious intricacies and depth of English football. Rejected by Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham as a London schoolboy, he took a year out of football at 15 before Bristol City took a chance. His path into senior football began at non-league Bath City, then League Two's Newport County, before it led to the Robins' first team; three-and-a-half Championship seasons there preceded his leap to the Premier League, and four years later he earned Bournemouth a 495% increase on their initial investment with a milestone move to a giant.
Instead of dipping into the Championship again or turning to the continent, Bournemouth have replaced Semenyo with a gold-standard prospect from Brazil. Unlike Semenyo at the same age, Rayan is a 19-year-old of significant pedigree and excitement in youth football circles. He has two seasons of senior football under his belt for Vasco da Gama and 99 appearances across all competitions; he has been a key player for the Brazilian triumphs at U-17 and U-20 level in their continental competitions, and was part of the team that beat an England side featuring Ethan Nwaneri, Josh Acheampong and Myles Lewis-Skelly at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2023; he's been named in various lists (including SCOUTED50), nominated for numerous awards, and been the subject of significant interest from the biggest clubs in the sport. At £28.5 million, he ranks as the fifth-most expensive signing in Bournemouth's history. Barring a disaster, this is likely to be money well spent: Rayan's purchase is an obvious example of a smart recruitment team who understand what their team needs, and know how to spot it.
This story was published in Volume I.
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