5 Players Who Could Solve the Lack of Goals at Crystal Palace
The job that Roy Hodgson did last season for Crystal Palace was a fantastic achievement and it even made him a contender among many experts as a potential winner of Manager of the Year.
This season has seen the club make a rather subdued start to the Premier League season, with many fans optimistic about the club not facing the battle of relegation which they are so used to being involved in within the Premier League.
The one area that is really affecting the club and pulling them into the early season contenders as potential relegation strugglers are scoring goals, which we all know is getting harder to find the top strikers to help lead the line in the Premier League.
It is safe to say that Christian Benteke has disappointed over the last season for the club and might never reach the heights that made him such a threat while he was at Villa Park and pushed him to make a move to one of the biggest clubs in England with Liverpool.
This Crystal Palace side has quality throughout the squad and, importantly, they possess a great deal of pace when it comes to the final third. They need to be clinical; a quality that, despite his work and endeavour, Jordan Ayew has never shown in the Premier League. Since making his move to Selhurst Park, he is yet to register a goal.
An important player moving forward for the club in the search of providing goals and chances is Max Meyer. The German midfielder is one who can orchestrate a game and create chances for the players around him, especially with the pace from wide positions in the team.
The former Schalke playmaker has started just one Premier League game, and perhaps Hodgson does not know his best position yet. Playing Meyer in behind a striker with a freedom to move into positions across the attacking third would suit the player most and, in this role, he can look for his attacking players moving in behind the defensive lines.
The need for Palace to get a striker in place is vital moving forward as their current options simply are not delivering for the team. January will not come quick enough for the club to address this situation and to try and get someone in for this role.
#5 Danny Welbeck
The former Manchester United striker is enjoying a run of games at Arsenal currently and despite his 4 goals in all competitions so far for the Gunners, his contract at the Emirates runs out at the end of this season. According to The Mirror, a new contract is not on the table for the England international.
Welbeck might not have the most prolific goal record across his career and his injury record has certainly been a factor in his career up to this point. But he possesses a great work ethic, pace, and an intelligence moving between the lines in the attacking third.
The ability to play wide would be a perfect fit into the Crystal Palace attack, with interchanging roles with the main man Wilfried Zaha. Welbeck could benefit massively in his career from moving away from the Emirates and gaining the first choice striker position at a club in the position of Crystal Palace.
They create many chances and have good options in the final third of the pitch. He might not even cost the club a great deal in terms of a transfer fee especially when you consider the sort of fees that are paid in the modern game.
Welbeck to Palace would make perfect sense for both player and club. The stumbling block would be if Unai Emery felt he wanted to keep the energetic forward at Arsenal, as he is a top professional.