Matty Cash of Nottingham Forest celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest. (Getty Images)
Back in November, the Sun (h/t The Nottingham Post) had claimed that Crystal Palace were keeping tabs on Nottingham Forest full-back Matty Cash.
A Nottingham Forest academy graduate to rise through the ranks, Matty Cash, 22, broke into the first-team squad back in 2016/17 campaign. Since then, he has been a regular fixture for Nottingham Forest, racking over 130 appearances across all competitions.
The 22-year-old has been a star performer for Forest this season under Sabri Lamouchi, registering three goals and four assists in 36 Championship appearances. With Cash continuing to impress in the Championship, Crystal Palace must revive their interest in the player when the transfer window opens.
The Eagles have got some momentum of late following three consecutive victories in the Premier League. The positive results in the last few weeks have lifted Crystal Palace to 11th place in the table, surprisingly just six points behind 5th-placed Manchester United.
Roy Hodgson’s side have struggled to score goals this season, with none of Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend, Luka Milivojevic or Christian Benteke delivering the goods consistently. In fact, they have netted only 26 goals in 29 games, which is very poor considering the quality players Roy Hodgson has at his disposal in the forward department.
At the back, however, Hodgson’s side have done well. They have conceded 32 goals so far– lesser than Everton, Arsenal, Burnley, Wolves, Tottenham and Chelsea. Nevertheless, the Eagles boss must add reinforcements to the squad in the summer. He must address the right-back position, having failed to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Wan-Bissaka joined Manchester United last summer and his exit left Hodgson with just Joel Ward and Martin Kelly as options at right-back. Even though Ward has performed extremely well amidst injury problems, the fact is that he has entered his 30s and cannot be considered as a long-term solution in that position. Having said that, Hodgson should strengthen his right-back area in the summer by bringing in Matty Cash.
Cash has previously been playing further up the pitch but this season, he has been a regular in the backline under Sabri Lamouchi, putting in some impressive performances. From the right-back position, he has supplied three assists and four goals – which are good numbers by a defender.
The Slough-born starlet is a versatile customer, capable of operating in midfield, as a right-back and on the wing as well. Such versatility would be a real asset for Hodgson’s Palace. Cash is only 22 years old and has a lot of room for development. With over 130 appearances, he has proven himself in the Championship and is at the right age to make the step up to Premier League football.
With Ward set to be 31 in October and having endured injury problems this term, Hodgson would be wise to recruit a new right-back to replace the Englishman in the longer run. And Nottingham Forest’s Cash could be that player for Palace.
