Bournemouth Fan View: Max Gradel is not Premier League quality

Max Gradel went to Toulouse on a season’s long loan earlier this week. I should be sad that he’s gone. But I’m not.

Yes, I was as excited as the next Bournemouth fan when we signed him back in the summer of 2015. I loved him when he played for us on loan in League One. He was fearless, unpredictable, and always wanted to go forward – everything you wanted in a winger.

So why has the return of such a beloved player just not worked out? And is his struggle to play well a worrying warning sign that snapping up players from the past isn’t always a good transfer policy?

Not sad Toulouse Max Gradel?

You first have to ask if Gradel was ever good in our current spell with us. Or if he was always a somewhat unfortunate waste of space.

He has shown flashes of class in our second spell with us though. In our first ever Premier League win for example – a heart stopping 4-3 win at Upton Park in the blazing hot sunshine back in 2015 – he was superb, setting up both our goals in the second half. He was superb.

After the long-term injury he suffered against Leicester City he then came back in February to help inspire the team to essential wins against Newcastle United and Swansea City.

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Caen’t say I didn’t see it coming

So you’d think that would have set him up for an excellent full season. But it simply never worked out that way in the 2016-17 campaign.

Competition on the wings was fierce, with pocket rocket Ryan Fraser, the dependable Marc Pugh, the mystifyingly inconsistent Junior Stanislas, and marquee signing Jordon Ibe all above him in the pecking order.

Whenever he did get some minutes he almost always failed to impress too. Whether it was in our limp cup displays – including flat defeats to Preston North End and Millwall – or substitute displays in the league he always struggled to make an impression.

He was clearly working hard, but the spark simply wasn’t there. It was as depressing to watch as it was frustrating.

I Marseille it’s the best move for all parties

So I can only conclude that he simply isn’t good enough for the Premier League. It may sound harsh, but it’s hard to argue against it.

The fact Eddie Howe didn’t even play him on the bench against West Bromwich Albion despite Max putting in some decent pre-season displays demonstrated he had come to that conclusion too.

Obviously if Gradel has a great season at Toulouse he may have a chance at getting back into our team – but I can’t see it happening. I’ll always be grateful for the contribution Max made in our first top flight season, but I think this loan is simply the first step in a permanent au revoir.