Is Rayan's Form Becoming A Concern For AFC Bournemouth?

After an impressive start to life on the South Coast following his move from Vasco De Gama in January, Rayan has looked a shadow of his former self in the opening 3 games of AFC Bournemouth's 2026/27 Premier League campaign.

It would be unreasonable to expect a 20 year old to move to a completely new continent, starting week in week out and maintain a high baseline of performance, especially when there has been a managerial change just 6 months into his time at the club. 

Rayan has still shown glimpses off his talent and direct abilities when on the ball this season, with a great example of that being that Marcus Tavernier's opening goal in yesterday's 2-2 draw with Newcastle came from Rayan taking on Lewis Hall on the right flank.

With Bournemouth expected to play north of 50 games in all competitions this season, there will be plenty of time for rotation on both wings, but especially on the right hand side seeing as Rayan is considerably less experienced than Marcus Tavernier on the left wing.

With David Brooks being named in the Europa League squad, and Ben Gannon-Doak expected to play more in the Premier League due to him not being in the Europa League squad, there are plenty of capable options to rotate without affecting the teams overall performance levels.

Ben Gannon-Doak looks to be the profile that would be best suited to the Marco Rose system due to his pace and dribbling in tight areas, and the Scottish International will be keen to carry on the form that he had when he started for Scotland at the World Cup this summer.

A lot of Rayan's best and most memorable performances in a Bournemouth shirt have stemmed from quality individual moments and sparks in a game, which does pose the argument that he doesn't need to play a full 90 minutes to have an impact on a game. 

The prospect of one of Brooks or Gannon-Doak playing the first hour of the game and Rayan coming on against a worn down full back with 30 minutes to go seems like it could be effective, and something that Rose could definitely implement if the Brazilian continues to effect games when starting.

There is also the prospect of Rayan being better suited to playing against teams in the Europa League due to many teams not being as disciplined and tight to the opposing teams winger.

Form is temporary, and class is permanent, and the Rayan of last season under Andoni Iraola will hopefully be back soon!