Crystal Palace have emerged as a serious contender to land an international defender in January as they look to recover from a poor start to the Premier League season, according to one report.
Crystal Palace see wings clipped
A tricky start to the season has undone much of the good work Oliver Glasner manager in south London at the end of last season, with a confused and toothless Crystal Palace side yet to manage a win in this season’s Premier League. Though they are not the only winless team, they have scored just five times so far this campaign despite shelling out on attacking trio Eddie Nketiah, Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada over the summer.
Crystal Palace’s summer signings
Player
Fee (as per Transfermarkt)
Eddie Nketiah
€29.70m
Maxence Lacroix
€18m
Ismaila Sarr
€15m
Chadi Riad
€15m
Daichi Kamada
Free
Matt Turner
Loan
Trevoh Chalobah
Loan
The same number of goals as struggling Manchester United, they have found the net just once more than Southampton, who are the division’s lowest scorers. At the other end, Dean Henderson has been beaten on 10 occasions and Palace have laboured to three draws, losing four times already, though they did edge past Championship side QPR in the Carabao Cup thanks to Nketiah’s first and, as it stands, only goal for his new side.
There remains plenty of time to turn things around, and there is little pressure on Glasner, with Palace chairman Steve Parish willing to give him time to turn things around at Selhurst Park as he gets to grip with a new-look squad that has yet to truly be used thanks to injuries and form. Now, they are emerging as a potential destination for an out-of-favour star this January.
Palace serious contenders to sign England defender
That comes as Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips has revealed that Palace are one of the most “serious clubs” to watch when it comes to the future of Ben Chilwell.
The England defender was publicly cast out by Enzo Maresca but could not find a move away from Stamford Bridge before the summer transfer window closed, and has now been somewhat sheepishly added back into the Blues’ Premier League squad.
Despite this, it is clear that his future lies away from Stamford Bridge irrespective of his £200,000 a week deal in west London, which runs until 2027. There is quite a queue for his signature, with Crystal Palace, Fulham, Manchester United and Ipswich Town as well as clubs from across Europe keen to bring the 27-year-old defender out of the footballing wilderness.
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As it stands, those clubs are all offering loan moves, something that Chelsea are yet to accept, and they are keen for a sale. But the Blues may be forced to consider cut-price options after shelling out £50m for the fullback, as they did with Sterling, who joined Arsenal on loan on deadline day on favourable terms to the Gunners.
Palace may hold an advantage in the race for Chilwell’s signature too, with his agency, CAA Stellar, also representing Palace no.1 Henderson, while they have good working relations with Chelsea after signing Trevoh Chalobah on loan in the summer.
However, a move for either Chilwell or Chalobah would have to be permanent for both to reunite at Selhurst Park, with the Premier League’s rules stating that only one loanee from any single club can be permitted. With Chalobah’s deal already sealed until the end of the season, a change to that seems unlikely, leaving a permanent deal for Chilwell as the only realistic solution.
With Tyrick Mitchell the only recognised left-sided defender in Glasner’s squad, it is clearly an area that will require attention in the winter window, though whether they will be able to negotiate a permanent deal for Chilwell remains to be seen.