Bournemouth are preparing to unleash their latest prospect after signing him from Vasco da Gama as Antoine Semenyo’s replacement. But why is Rayan rated so highly in Brazil?
If there’s one transfer this month that highlights the lure and strength of the Premier League, you’d do well to find a better example than Bournemouth’s signing of Rayan.
While clearly not yet a household name, the 19-year-old forward brought in from Vasco da Gama for a reported £25 million is generally regarded as one of Brazil’s next great hopes. At home, there are plenty who consider him to be on a similar trajectory to the likes of Estêvão and Endrick, or maybe even Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo before them – but it’s not at the Bernabéu, Camp Nou or even Stamford Bridge where he’ll be featuring for the foreseeable future, but the Vitality Stadium.
Of course, Bournemouth’s recruitment over the past few years has been incredibly well regarded, especially with respect to polishing rough diamonds.
The list of relatively unheralded young players to come through Bournemouth lately before being sold for considerable profit includes Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi, Milos Kerkez, Dango Ouattara and, most pertinently, Antoine Semenyo.
Rayan is essentially a replacement for Semenyo and is expected to be used from the right flank in the short to medium term, according to a well-placed source. But rather than being an out-and-out winger who stretches the width of the pitch by hugging the touchline, he should theoretically offer a similar degree of goal threat to the man he’s replacing.
Semenyo’s effectiveness in front of goal is what’s elevated his game in the past year or so, and so it’s easy to see why Rayan – although by no means a carbon copy – was identified as potentially a good fit for the team.
While comparisons with Estêvão may seem obvious right now in some respects, Bournemouth fans will quickly see they are rather different players. Whereas the Chelsea youngster is all about tricky footwork, incredible agility and immense acceleration, Rayan is perhaps a little less flashy but has ox-like running power, allowing him to hold off defenders, barge through them, or simply knock the ball beyond them.
This combination of physical power and raw pace make Rayan an explosive weapon, especially when carrying the ball over considerable distances. As a result, he is a danger in transition, and Bournemouth have been renowned for their quality when attacking quickly. Fitting, then.
But don’t let any focus on his physical qualities do him a disservice; Rayan’s is a style that suits his abilities and profile, and it made him one of the most effective and dangerous attackers in Brazil last year. Sure, he may not dazzle defenders with stepovers or an elastico, but he can still beat his man and is a very willing carrier of the ball.
Furthermore, given he can also add his height (he is over six feet tall and potentially still growing) to his list of strengths, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest his future lies as a number nine. One expert consulted by Opta Analyst believes this is “realistic” assuming Rayan’s presence in the box and finishing consistency continue to improve.
In fact, in 2025 under Fernando Diniz, Rayan played a reasonable amount of football through the middle. And even when he wasn’t necessarily deployed as Vasco’s focal point, his tendency to cut inside onto his left foot meant he frequently took up central positions anyway.
“I think Rayan, very clearly, is a very different player for me. I consider him perhaps the most complete striker in Brazilian football,” Diniz told reporters in October.
“He’s a player who can play on both sides of the field, he can play as a number 10 and as a number nine with the same ease. He’s a tall, left-footed, fast, young player; he doesn’t need to take a run-up to the ball to shoot and shoots from any distance. He has a great knack for scoring goals; a complete striker. In my opinion, he deserves to be looked at very carefully by the national team because he’s very talented and has enormous potential.”
Rayan’s broad range of strengths and qualities helps make him a versatile forward, then, though he’s definitely a greater threat with his shooting than he is as a creator.
First and foremost, as Diniz alluded to, Rayan will shoot from almost anywhere. His left foot is a force of nature and he’s not shy about using it.
There’s a perception this is an area of his game that could do with some refining because he does have a habit of trying his luck from daft distances when there are other options available to him. However, it’s also a manifestation of the belief he has in his own ability, and, to be fair, he is a threat from range.
Of the 41 players to attempt at least 20 shots from outside the box in the Brazilian Série A last season, only five got a greater proportion on target than Rayan (40.4%) – on top of that, his 47 attempts from outside the box was at least 19 more than those five above him.
This element of his game combined with his left-footedness and strength on the ball have led to comparisons with former Brazil and Inter striker Adriano, despite Rayan mostly being considered a wide player during these early years of his career.
But as noted, there have certainly been signs of promise regarding his potential to play as a centre-forward more permanently. Among his 14 Série A goals last season were a couple of poacher’s efforts and three towering headers to go with some of his more elaborate goals – the long-range strikes and those following lung-busting runs.
Being a centre-forward is, of course, a lot more than just scoring headers and tap-ins, though he’s also shown promise with respect to bringing others into play. His significant frame and strength make Rayan a good target, and he appears adept at receiving with his back to goal before quickly offloading. It may not be glamorous, but it’s the kind of work a centre-forward sometimes needs to get through.
He certainly isn’t perfect in this respect; his touch can sometimes be a little heavy, and occasionally he might play too safe in these situations. But for the most part, he does look at ease receiving and resisting contact, refusing to be overawed by the prospect of a big burly Argentinian centre-back barging into him from behind.
“He can dribble and knows how to build up the play,” Diniz added. “He knows how to play one-twos, he knows how to switch the play. When he’s needed in the first phase of build-up, he’s there. When he needs to drop to one side, he drops. He’s starting to make better use of his jumping ability, and he’s a very athletic player.”
The latter part of Diniz’s appraisal aligns with Rayan’s improved handling of the physical side of the game, which, for a young player, is quite impressive.
Among forwards to engage in at least 30 aerial duels in 2025, his 55.1% success rate in them was the sixth best – and it wasn’t as if he was helped by a small sample size, as only eight forwards contested more aerials than him (107).
Undoubtedly, though, he’s at his most dangerous when allowed to charge forward on the ball, and this was a key factor for Bournemouth.
No player in the Brazilian Série A last season tallied more carries (movements of at least five metres with the ball) ending in a shot (33) than Rayan, and among them were some memorable goals.
For this one against Fortaleza, Rayan latched on to the ball just past the halfway line and ran all the way to the penalty area before finishing, his pace being too much for the covering defender.
And against São Paulo, he took up possession deep on the right before diagonally making his way to the edge of the box, at one point doing well to hold off a defender while simultaneously jinking past another. He then drilled into the bottom-left corner from 18 yards.
His five goal-ending carries was bettered by only Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Kaio Jorge (both six) and highlights the danger he posed when running at speed.
This didn’t quite translate the same way to chance creation. By comparison, he only tallied seven carries ending with a chance created, while his total of 33 opportunities laid on to teammates equated to a fairly unspectacular 2.1 expected assists.
Now, we have to remember he spent part of the season playing as Vasco’s frontman, so this would always be expected to impact chance creation, but it doesn’t feel unreasonable to suggest creativity was less of a priority than going for goal himself.
And perhaps he was right to back himself more often than not; after all, his 14 Série A goals made him the joint-fourth-highest scorer in 2025, while his 12 non-penalty goals was also bettered by just three players.
He did considerably outperform in relation to his non-pen xG, though, with only two players doing so to a greater degree than him (+4.68). But when you score a quarter of your non-pen goals from outside the box, you’re always likely to overperform like that.
It’s impossible to say whether that kind of form is sustainable or not. Generally, you’d probably think not, but some players are just better at shooting than others, and if you consistently get your efforts on target – as Rayan does – then you’ll always be at an advantage.
Clearly, Rayan is still quite a raw talent in many ways, especially when it comes to his decision making. But, at 19, it would be odd if he wasn’t.
Those more mature aspects of the game will presumably come into his skillset as he gets older, so it’s possible he’ll frustrate at times.
Similarly, it can’t be underestimated how important it’ll be to settle well. Despite his obvious talents, he’s by no means the finished article and still has plenty of developing to do. There are many in Brazil, like Diniz, who believe – despite being “special” and “almost impossible to replace” – he’s made the move too early.
“I think he is running a risk by moving now,” Diniz said earlier this week. “I hope he does well there, but I am convinced that the best thing for Rayan would have been to stay [at Vasco] for another year, and then be more ready to make a move.”
Current Santos forward and former Inter player Gabigol also recently said in an interview with Vasco and Brazil great Romário that it “isn’t worth it” anymore for young Brazilian players to join clubs who are “15th in the Spanish or English league” rather than the biggest sides in Brazil.
While he wasn’t specifically talking about Rayan, and he namechecked the likes of Flamengo and Palmeiras rather than Vasco, the parallels are curiously coincidental given Bournemouth are 13th and were 15th before last weekend.
Of course, that was merely Gabigol’s opinion. Rayan’s move to the Cherries could be perfect for him, and according to a source, Bournemouth’s reputation as a strong developmental club was particularly appreciated. While there are no guarantees, the expectation is they’ll provide exposure and plenty of minutes to create a pathway to the top, as opposed to making that jump right away.
So, although the point remains that some who are very familiar with him feel Rayan could have been more patient, there’s a strong argument that picking the Cherries is actually the smart move.
Either way, there’s a reason Rayan’s been the subject of so much excitement in Brazil. Bournemouth fans have every right to embrace that because, if the strongest areas of his game continue developing as he adapts to the Premier League, his potential could be frightening.
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More Adriano Than Neymar: Understanding Rayan, Bournemouth’s Latest Rough Diamond Opta Analyst.
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