Crystal Palace have survived another season in the Premier League but without solid investment over the summer, Roy Hodgson could face an uphill task in maintaining his team’s top-flight status.
In the recently concluded season, the Eagles struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis, with nearly every player struggling. The fact that Luka Milivojevic was their top scorer with 12 goals speaks volumes about the team’s problems.
Truly, the lack of goals was one of the main reasons why Crystal Palace flirted with the relegation zone for a large part of the first half of the 2018/19 season. Things did change following the loan signing of Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea, as the Belgian proved to be an inspired addition with five goals in 11 games.
As it was a loan deal, Batshuayi has returned back to Chelsea and due to the Blues’ two-window transfer ban, Hodgson must forget signing the 25-year-old this summer.
Palace’s premium strikers Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham have been plagued with recurring injury problems, leaving the goalscoring burden entirely on the shoulders of Wilfried Zaha.
The south Londoners did surprise many by handing the injury-prone Wickham a new deal earlier this week, but Hodgson could rectify his mistake by offloading Benteke in the summer transfer window.
The departure of Benteke and some other fringe players will certainly lighten the payroll and create space in the squad for fresh additions. By offloading the big Belgian, Hodgson should reinvest the money to sign Werder Bremen star Milot Rashica, who has already caught the attention of Palace.
Milot Rashica, 22, made 30 appearances across all competitions for Werder Bremen this season, since moving from Vitesse Arnhem last January. He notched 12 goals and six assists and helped Bremen to an eighth-placed finish in the Bundesliga.
A versatile player, Rashica can play on either wing or through the middle. The Kosovo international possesses plenty of pace, trickery, flair and movement, and his direct approach would be a real asset for Crystal Palace. He has shown real maturity in his movement in the final third this season and has a killer right foot.
To Read More Crystal Palace News, Click Here:- Latest Crystal Palace News
The 22-year-old has the ability to take defenders on with his dribbling skills and beat them with his sudden burst of pace. Rashica can stretch play and smartly interchange positions with his fellow attackers to cause problems for the opposition. Also, the Werder Bremen star’s awareness in front of goal belie his age.
Rashica has a fantastic career ahead of him and a step to the Premier League is the right move in the summer. Hodgson would solve his goal-scoring woes with the addition of the Kosovo international in the ongoing transfer window and he should do so without any second thoughts.