Speaking on a recent episode of the HLTCO podcast, Dan Cook discussed Crystal Palace’s links with Chelsea left-back Marcos Alonso.
According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, Palace ‘are looking at’ Alonso, who has played 152 times for Chelsea, scoring 22 goals and providing 18 assists, as a ‘potential replacement’ for Patrick van Aanholt, whose contract is set to expire next summer.
The report goes on to state that, although Roy Hodgson’s side ‘hope’ Van Aanholt stays, they have a ‘strong interest’ in the Chelsea left-back, and are also tracking Marseille defender Jordan Amavi.
However, despite these links, the Daily Mail also claim that the south London side are in talks with Van Aanholt to extend his current deal with the club.
The situation was one topic of conversation on a recent episode of the HLTCO podcast, in which Cook gave his opinion on the club’s apparent interest in the £16.2 million-rated Chelsea defender.
He said: “Marcos Alonso, the Chelsea full-back, is being linked with a potential move to Selhurst Park either in January or the summer.
“He’s supposedly on our radar with Patrick van Aanholt known to be out of contract this coming summer, and so far, whilst there have been some reports over a potential contract discussion taking place with the Dutchman, there has been no tangible movement.
“When you consider that [Alonso] is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2023, it’s difficult to know exactly how much we’d be forced to part with if we were to take him on a transfer, because Chelsea are very well known [for] getting very good value for their players.
“I’m not sure from Palace’s perspective, even when you look at the overall transfer kitty that we’d have available – whether or not it represents good value for money.
“It’s a to-and-fro conversation that I’m sure will continue to rage should we continually be linked with a move for Marcos Alonso.
“At the moment, it’s obviously in the very early stages, and I highly doubt it will be something that we’ll be looking to do in the January window, [it is] more a case of us getting it over the line in the summer.”
Would you like to see Palace make a move for Marcos Alonso?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Dan Cook’s comments regarding the club’s links with Marcos Alonso…
From Cook’s comments, it is clear the podcaster is concerned about the potential size of the transfer fee that would be required to secure Alonso’s signing from Chelsea.
Considering the fact that, as Cook points out, the Spain international is currently under contract in west London until 2023, as well as having a current market value of £16.2 million, we have to agree, spending a large sum of money on the 29-year-old left-back, particularly when a youth product like Tyrick Mitchell has performed admirably in the position so far this season, would seem, in our opinion, to be a strange move by the club.