When he first arrived at Crystal Palace under then manager Frank de Boer, Jairo Riedewald was expected to man the Palace back-line for the next few years at least. However, with De Boer sacked after a four-game winless run, things have gone from bad to worse for the 22-year-old centre-back.
This season alone has seen his appearances hit rock bottom, having made only 4 in all competitions, with his time at Selhurst Park coming to an end. Team Talk has reported that the former Ajax star will leave either on loan or permanently as the Eagles boss Roy Hodgson tries to get his season back on track.
The Championship side is doing comparatively well and sit in a potential playoff spot. Now with the January window open, manager Tony Pulis needs reinforcements and he should consider the out of favour Crystal Palace defender.
Given Riedewald’s versatility to play as either a centre-back, left-back or a central midfielder, his presence in Middlesbrough’s teamsheet would provide the former West Brom manager with a lot of options.
With Palace looking to loan the 22-year-old, the move allows both sides to get the best out of the January window. For Boro, it adds a talented, young and versatile star to their stable, who has Champions League and Premier League experience to his name, a perfect candidate to help the Championship side.
Having already lost David Wagner, after the 47-year-old mutually left the club recently, Huddersfield need all the help they can get to survive the Premier League. They currently sit rock bottom in 20th place and are three points behind 19th place Fulham. While Jairo Riedewald won’t be their answer to all their attacking woes, the 22-year-old can definitely add a bit of steel to their defence.
So far, the Terriers have conceded 37 goals and while’s it is the second best defensive record among the bottom five Premier League sides, the club need to make sure they don’t concede too many more going forward. Every goal counts in a relegation battle and maybe adding a 22-year-old with a lot of experience to his name and a desire to play first-team football could give them a bit of bite.
While they do sit in 12th position in the Championship, Aston Villa are struggling defensively. The Villa Park side has conceded 43 goals in 27 games, which is the joint third worse record in the Championship. To make things worse, manager Dean Smith cannot find a centre-back pairing that will work for the Lions and that has added to their issues this season.
While there are no reports or rumours linking Jairo Riedewald with a move to Villa Park, the 22-year-old Dutch international can definitely make a difference and he can even make a play for first-team football. His experience will come in handy for Aston Villa, plus his ability to play as a central midfielder does make him a valuable loan option.
There is no onus on the club to sign him permanently, but if he flourishes at Villa Park, maybe Smith and company can convince Crystal Palace to sell a player who isn’t in their plans.
