RYAN Christie has proved an inspired buy since his switch from Scottish giants Celtic back in August – and it appears Cherries are looking to bring in a similar ilk of player with their interest in Tom Lawrence.

Made available on deadline day, Cherries more than willingly parted with a reported £1.5m to bring Christie south of the border.

With Scott Parker very keen to add attacking threat to his side ahead of the promotion run-in, Tom Lawrence has been linked with Cherries for some time now.

Despite reports stating that the administrators in charge of Derby County have blocked a move for Lawrence, Parker remained coy when asked about specific targets.

The former Manchester United youngster is viewed as vital for potential Championship survival for the Rams, but those higher up the table believe his quality could help them over the line.

In order to get a better grasp of what Lawrence could bring to the Dorset side, we have mapped out the key figures and statistics – and compared them to Cherries’ Christie.

The duo are versatile attackers that can do a job in a variety of positions.

This season alone, Lawrence has been deployed by Derby County boss Wayne Rooney as a left-winger, striker and number 10, relying on Lawrence to produce goals and lay off chances for his teammates.

It’s a similar case for Scottish international Christie, although his manager has been more consistent with the Scot’s position, largely keeping him on the right wing.

Christie has quickly become Cherries’ creator-in-chief, facilitating teammates in attacking moves.

The diminutive attacker is tied with Philip Billing with five assists as Cherries’ top assister, with 31 key passes in 22 appearances.

Only Jaidon Anthony has more for Cherries, with the youngster contributing 35 key passes this campaign.

Both are internationals for their countries, with Lawrence boasting 23 caps for Wales, whilst Christie has represented Scotland 25 times.

But when you boil their games down to statistics, you can quickly see the similarities in their play.

Direct with the ball at feet, both are also keen to try their luck from outside the box, testing goalkeepers from range on average at least once a match.

Lawrence’s more clinical finishing is the standout difference between the two players. The Wrexham-born attacker has eight goals this campaign, whilst Christie has just the one.

Christie edges Lawrence when it comes to assists and key passes, a deficiency the Welshman makes up for with his higher output in terms of goals.

Lawrence also can be a threat from free-kicks, a potentially valuable asset with Cherries without set-piece specialist Junior Stanislas due to injury.

Do you think Lawrence should be Cherries’ main target for the remainder of the transfer window? How much do you think Cherries should spend to bring him in?