When Lys Mousset signed for AFC Bournemouth in the summer there was a fair bit of excitement amongst our supporters. There were a few reasons for this.

The main one was that the twenty-one year old had arrived from side Le Havre. This is the French side who have in recent years nurtured talents as Riyad Mahrez, Paul Pogba, and Dimitri Payet.

There was also the tantalising prospect of what the young Frenchman, who we signed for an alleged five and a half million pounds, could do under the tutelage of Eddie Howe. He was also being chased by several clubs including CSKA Moscow, Sevilla, and even Tottenham Hotspur. That alone demonstrates how he could become a star we might not be able to hold onto for long.

So, naturally, he’s barely played a minute for us this season. Often not even making the bench, Mousset has cut an increasingly frustrated character. In December he was quoted by a French newspaper as saying “it’s bizarre, but I feel like I’ve been left to one side, and it annoys me to think I might go a season without scoring.”

Loan move

Rumours then circulated that he could be put out on loan – before a rather unconvincing statement on the official AFCB website stated he was very happy at the club.

Now this might all seem to suggest that Mousset has been a complete waste of transfer money. Much like, say, Jordon Ibe. But despite having spent significantly less time on the pitch than Ibe, Mousset is much more fondly thought of by our fans than the man we signed from Liverpool.

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This is in part because of his hugely exciting cameo in the friendly against A.C. Milan. In this game re he scored a sensational goal which saw nearly half of the Italian side bounce off him. He also has a cannon of a shot, and looks incredibly enthusiastic whenever he’s on the pitch. His short cameo against Sunderland – where he helped set up the winning goal, and subsequently celebrated it like a madman – is proof that he’s still eager to fight for a place.

Our fans have notably been rooting for him too. In recent 4-0 win against Middlesbrough everyone was noticeably disappointed when he missed a golden chance to open his account.

Sadly for him, he’s barely had more time than a few minutes at a time – aside from some cup games where the whole team was misfiring. But because of injuries to Callum Wilson and Benik Afobe the young Frenchman is one of only two fit strikers left in our squad. With the other being none other than Josh King.

Mousset’s moment?

So the last three games of this season could be Mousset’s big opportunity to stake a claim for a first team place. Eddie Howe has preferred to play a 4-4-2 formation for the final segment of this season, and if we wants to continue that then he has little choice but to play Lys alongside King.

That said, Howe did prefer to swap the injured Afobe with Junior Stanislas at Sunderland. So it’s definitely not a given that he’ll give Mousset the chance he deserves.

But considering our opposition in our remaining games, would it be that much of a risk to play him? We play Stoke City, Burnley, and Leicester City. All team on or very close to forty points, and with nothing of note to play for. We’re on forty-one points too, so are as good as safe.

In my opinion this trio of matches should be used as a testing ground for Mousset. If he really shows what he can do he could well become our third or even second choice striker next season, depending on what happens with Josh King over the summer.

If he fails to impress then we should look to put him out on loan next season. A stint in the Championship could see him come back to us match ready and raring to go again. It did the world of good for Ryan Fraser after all…