Evanilson Has ALWAYS Been This Good. Why Are The Media Only Just Noticing?

Cherries supporters might be forgiven for questioning why it has taken a run of five consecutive Premier League scoring appearances for some sections of the media to recognise Evanilson's qualities. After all, his contribution to this Bournemouth side has always extended far beyond simply finding the net.

His relentless pressing, intelligent movement and ability to create opportunities for himself and his teammates have been evident throughout his time on the south coast. So why has it taken the goals column to spark the headlines?

Perhaps the sudden increase in column inches says less about Evanilson's development and more about the shortcomings of those reporting on him. Apparently, a striker needs to score five games in a row before some people realise he's actually rather "good at football".

A recent article from The Daily Briefing suggests that Manchester City and Arsenal are understood to be leading contenders for a €60m-rated attacking talent who is currently in tremendous form.

It claims: "These two Premier League title contenders will be keen to edge each other out with some smart business in January, and I'm reliably told that there's one player in particular who could be the subject of a battle between these clubs."

Forgive AFC Bournemouth fans for rolling their eyes. It's not that the speculation is necessarily surprising, but rather that it has taken a sequence of headline-grabbing goals for the wider football world to seemingly discover what Cherries supporters have been watching for some time.

Evanilson was once again instrumental as Bournemouth secured a 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town, extending their remarkable winning run to eight consecutive matches across the Premier League and Europa League.

His opening goal was another example of the rewards Bournemouth are reaping from their aggressive pressing approach. Anticipating Ipswich's attempts to play out from the back, the Brazilian forced the opposition into an uncomfortable situation before capitalising on a defensive mistake to find the net.

It is becoming a familiar sight, and the statistics make for impressive reading. Bournemouth have now scored eight goals from opposition errors in the Premier League this season - twice as many as any other side, according to figures highlighted on Match of the Day.

Evanilson is central to that success. His willingness to lead the press, close down defenders and relentlessly pursue lost causes gives Bournemouth an attacking weapon that doesn't always show up on a scoresheet. When those efforts are rewarded with goals, as they have been recently, the results can be devastating for opponents.

But this is precisely the point that seems to have escaped some of the transfer gossip merchants. Would his ability to read pressing situations, occupy defenders and create problems for opposition backlines suddenly become less impressive if he hadn't scored in five consecutive matches? Of course not.

Are journalists genuinely assessing a player's footballing ability, or simply waiting for the numbers to become sufficiently impressive before deciding he's worth writing about?

Evanilson hasn't suddenly transformed into a coveted Premier League striker. His recent scoring streak has simply made it rather harder for people to overlook the qualities that were already there.

If clubs of Manchester City and Arsenal's stature really are taking an interest, they would be wise to look beyond the goals. His finishing might be attracting the attention, but his contribution to Marco Rose's system is considerably more nuanced than that.

Sometimes the best goalscorers don't just wait for opportunities - they create them. Bournemouth have had a striker doing exactly that for some time. Perhaps now, the rest of the football world is finally catching up.