Football League World
·27 January 2023
Football League World
·27 January 2023
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
AFC Bournemouth could potentially make a move for Sunderland star Ross Stewart.
That is according to the Daily Record, who report that the 26-year-old is on the rader of both the Cherries and fellow Premier League side Brentford.
A move for the Scottish striker would be reliant on the club selling their own star forward, it is reported, with the club said to be aware of pending late moves for Dominic Solanke this month.
Ross Stewart’s contract at Sunderland was due to expire in the summer, although the club have reportedly exercised their option for a further year.
With that in mind, were AFC Bournemouth to make a move for Stewart, we asked our FLW writers for their thoughts on whether or not he is ready for the Premier League.
With the way that Stewart has taken to Championship football for the first time, you’d be hard-pressed to write him off making a further step up to the Premier League.
However, Stewart would perhaps not get the same level of service at Bournemouth as they can often be on the back foot in matches in the Premier League, and that would limit the Scotsman’s chances.
Plus, it does not make much sense for Bournemouth to be targeting Stewart even in the event of a Solanke departure as they are already set to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bristol City, and you’d imagine with the new ownership on board they could target someone more extravagant from Europe than someone unproven at the top level like Stewart.
With no real speculation that any clubs are right now in for Solanke though, Sunderland fans can probably rest easy and presume that Stewart will remain at the Stadium of Light for the rest of the season, which is an exciting thought with Joe Gelhardt to add to the mix as well.
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This isn’t one I can see happening this month.
Even with the arrival of Joe Gelhardt from Leeds, Sunderland are chasing the play-offs and a sale of Stewart would make little sense unless a bonkers offer arrived.
Furthermore, Solanke remains a Bournemouth player for now, and given their own fight for survival in the Premier League, it would likely take a huge bid to prize him away from the Vitality Stadium.
That’s a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ involved and to be honest, if Solanke were to go for a huge fee, the Cherries would likely be much better off targeting a more proven striker, as opposed to Stewart, who is still establishing himself at Championship level in all honesty.
Not too sure about this deal.
There is no doubt that Ross Stewart has been an excellent addition at Sunderland since he joined the club, and the Scottish international has proven himself to be one of the best strikers in the Championship.
However, there is just that uncertainty about whether he would be as big a hit in the Premier League at this moment in time.
The main concern would be whether Stewart could replicate the loss of goals Bournemouth would suffer if Solanke did depart, and with the Scotsman not having played in the Premier League before, it is very hard to say.
It could be a smart move from the Cherries, but to be honest, if Solanke were to leave the club, they may be better to get a player who has tasted the Premier League.