Crystal Palace Opinion: Eagles should beat Burnley to sign Josh Murphy
According to Wales Online, Crystal Palace and Burnley are set to go head-to-head in a transfer tug of war over Cardiff City winger Josh Murphy in the summer, provided the Bluebirds get relegated to the Championship.
Cardiff are currently placed 18th in the standings, 4 points adrift of safety, and Neil Warnock’s side will have to get positive results from their two remaining games against Crystal Palace and Man United. That, however, might not be enough if Brighton do not drop points against Arsenal on Sunday.
Neil Warnock struck an £11million deal to bring Josh Murphy from Norwich City last summer upon Cardiff’s promotion to the Premier League but the 24-year-old hasn’t quite justified that price tag in the top-flight.
Murphy, who is considered as one of Cardiff’s best options in the attacking third, has contributed with only 3 goals and an assist from 27 appearances in the league.
Murphy joined Norwich’s youth system as a school kid before making his first-team debut for the Canaries in 2013. He spent time on loan at Wigan Athletic and MK Dons in the Championship before establishing himself as a regular at Carrow Road.
The former England U-20 international racked up 20 goals and 12 assists from 107 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions before joining the Bluebirds last summer.
Interest from the Eagles and the Clarets in Josh Murphy comes as little surprise given that both the teams have struggled to score goals in the Premier League this season.
Having recovered from their early-season woes, both the teams have steered themselves to safety in the top-flight but they would need to bolster their attacking options in the summer to challenge for better things in the Premier League next term.
To put things into perspective, Josh Murphy would be a handy signing for both the aforementioned clubs but Palace should look to get one over their mid-table Premier League rivals by striking a deal for the electric winger this summer.
Murphy has struggled to make a big impact at Cardiff City this season but the Eagles should remember that this was his first full season in the top-flight. Cardiff, as a unit, have looked listless in the attacking third and it would be unfair to put the blame entirely on Murphy for that.
Palace can certainly do with a bit more pace and flair in their attack, with Max Meyer failing to live up to the expectations in the Premier League, following his arrival on a free transfer last summer.
Jeffrey Schlupp has chipped in with 4 goals in the league and has done a fair job defensively as well, but the Eagles need to bring in an out-and-out left-winger to add more bite to their attack. And Josh Murphy certainly fits the bill.
The Eagles are in danger of losing the services of Wilfred Zaha in the summer, with the Ivorian linked with moves to several top clubs across Europe.
Andros Townsend has also blown hot and cold throughout the season, and although Murphy hasn’t been prolific for Cardiff, he can add more depth to the squad and increase competition for places at Selhurst Park.
The 24-year-old jet-heeled winger has the pace to burn, and that accompanied by his dribbling skills, make him a dangerous player down the flanks.
He tends to fade away from the game at times and has a habit of letting his team down with lean patches in front of goal but few can deny that he can be very effective on his day.
Adept at using his pace to cut inside from the wide areas, Murphy not only has a good eye for goal but he also has the ability to set up goals for his teammates with incisive passes and accurate crosses.
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Murphy is yet to reach his prime as an attacker but working at Palace under the able guidance of Hodgson should get the best out of him.
He might be a bit of a risky signing for the Eagles but this is one of those moves that can bring a lot of rewards as well.
