According to recent reports, Crystal Palace are monitoring the situation of Bochum centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap.
The reports by The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam state that the south London club are actively attempting to invest in younger talents over the upcoming transfer window, in reaction to the fact that Roy Hodgson has ‘named the oldest starting XI in the division’s history on multiple occasions this season’.
One of these talents is said to be Armel Bella-Kotchap, an 18-year-old Bochum defender who gained attention earlier this season for his performance against Bayern Munich in the German Cup, in which he kept Robert Lewandowski at bay, despite an eventual 2-1 victory for Die Roten.
Interestingly, the youngster is valued at just £2.07 million (as per Transfermarkt).
However, Woosnam also goes on to claim that despite all four of Palace’s centre-back options being over 30 years old, as well as the fact that Mamadou Sakho has been linked with a move away from the club, should Palace make a move for Bella-Kotchap, it would be unclear if the German youth international would be inserted into the first-team squad or if he would spend some time with the U23 side.
TIF Thoughts…
It would certainly appear to be a wise move for Palace to invest in youth over the summer, with Roy Hodgson’s side having the oldest average age of players in their squad by quite a considerable distance in the Premier League.
Do you think that Palace need to invest in youth over the summer?
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And while Palace are indeed safe from relegation this season, it is difficult to see how the club improves on its league performance if they do not bring in some younger players to freshen up the squad this summer.