Journalist Charles Watts has provided an update on Eddie Nketiah and his failed move to Crystal Palace during the recent transfer window.
Whilst the Eagles were incredibly busy during the summer transfer window, bringing in a number of players as they embarked on a major rebuild both on and off the pitch, the one position that was still left to fix heading into the final few days of the transfer window was centre-forward.
Reports had linked them with a couple of names, with The Sun claiming that they had two targets in mind as the clock ticked closer to the deadline in the form of Arsenal’s Nketiah and Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard – the latter of whom they ended up signing.
However, speaking on his show, Watts claimed that the Eagles were apparently very close to signing Nketiah, and had gone some way down the line in terms of completing the deal, before explaining why it didn’t take place:
“Eddie Nketiah, there was a deal agreed for Nketiah with Crystal Palace, it broke down on personal terms.”
TIF Thoughts on Charles Watts’ comments about Eddie Nketiah and Crystal Palace…
Will Edouard be a good signing for Palace?
Yes!
No!
This could very well end up being a blessing in disguise when it comes to Crystal Palace, because whilst it’s no guarantee that a player will perform well in the Premier League – something that has befallen even some of the best names in the game – at least with Edouard, it’s a much safer bet that he’ll be able to hit the ground running.
22-year-old Nketiah, for instance, valued at £14.4m on Transfermarkt, has only played 84 games at senior level, whilst Edouard, despite only being one year older than him, has played 196.
You could argue that Nketiah is still developing as a player having never been a first-team regular at Arsenal or during his loan spell at Leeds United, whereas Edouard will be more prepared after his time at Celtic to lead the line from the get-go at Selhurst Park.
Given the state of flux the club are in and the need to stay up in this first season after the rebuild, the club needed to make sure they’re on safe footing when it came to the players at their disposal rather than taking too big of a risk. And out of the two options presented, Edouard certainly comes across on paper as the safer option.
In other news: ‘At the moment’ – Presenter shares potential Conor Gallagher ‘problem’ at Crystal Palace