Why Ilias Chair would be a good long-term signing for Bournemouth
According to the print edition of The Sun (January 10, Page 59), Bournemouth are among a host of Championship clubs interested in securing a deal for QPR attacking midfielder Ilias Chair in the winter market.
Playoff rivals Watford, Brentford and Reading are also keen on the 23-year-old, who has impressed as a regular starter at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this season. QPR, though, currently find themselves struggling at the wrong end of the table in the Championship. It is understood that clubs higher up the standings are looking to take advantage of the situation to bolster their promotion hopes. (h/t The Sun)
Born in Belgium to parents of Moroccan descent, Chair started his career with Lierse S.K before earning a move to the English capital with QPR back in 2017. The Moroccan U-23 international featured sporadically in his first couple of seasons in West London but has established himself as a regular starter following the appointment of Mark Warburton in 2019.
Chair bagged 4 goals and 6 assists in 41 appearances for QPR last term, guiding his side to a decent 13th-place finish in the Championship. The versatile midfielder has continued to impress with his potential this season as well, despite a difficult first half of the campaign for Warburton’s side. He has started each of the club’s 23 league fixtures so far, contributing with 5 goals.
Bournemouth are currently flying high in the Championship following an impressive start to life back in the second-tier. With a hectic winter schedule set to follow, Jason Tindall should have one eye on reinforcements in the January window as the race for automatic promotion promises to go down to the wire.
The south coast outfit haven’t been short of goals in the Championship but can certainly do with some fresh additions with an eye on their long-term plans. Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld hasn’t played since the end of November due to a hamstring problem while Dan Gosling and Junior Stanislas are both out of contract at the end of the season.
Atletico Madrid loanee Rodrigo Riquelme has been a peripheral figure in the set-up while the future of David Brooks continues to be the subject of speculation. With a departure for Joshua King looking likely, the Cherries should be on the lookout for opportunities to fresh up their squad.
Putting things into context, Ilias Chair fits the bill as a talented young playmaker with plenty of room for development. The 23-year-old has already started to deliver on his potential at QPR, catching the eye with his versatility to operate in a wide variety of roles across the midfield and final third.
While essentially a central midfielder by trade, Chair has also been utilised out wide on either flank and further up front as a No.10.
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Verdict
It’s clear from the above discussion that a potential deal for Ilias Chair would offer Bournemouth some real quality and cover in multiple areas across the pitch. The Moroccan isn’t quite the finished article just yet but clearly has the potential to go on and play at a very high level.
The Cherries have an excellent record of nurturing young talents, as evident from the success of Brooks, Groeneveld, Dominic Solanke, Lewis Cook and several others. Having said that, Bournemouth beating off competition in the race to sign the QPR prospect would pay off handsomely for their long-term plans as they bid to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
