Crystal Palace could potentially add a World Cup winner to their ranks this summer with Marseille’s Florian Thauvin being linked with a move to the club.
According to L’Equipe, the Eagles and Premier League rivals Leicester City have commenced talks with the Frenchman, whose contract expires in the summer.
Palace chairman Steve Parish must make sure that Palace secure his signature ahead of the competition, as it would be an absolute bargain.
Should Palace sign Thauvin?
Absolutely!
No, steer clear.
In simple terms, Thauvin would be a huge upgrade on the current wide options at Selhurst Park. The former Newcastle United flop has flourished back in his home country.
In 274 appearances for Les Olympiens, he has scored 86 goals and notched 60 assists in all competitions, including eight throughout the 2020/21 season.
For context, since he moved back to France in 2016, Palace’s highest contributing attacker Wilfried Zaha has contributed just 41 goals and 36 assists in the same time frame. This would therefore make the likes of Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp pale into almost insignificance.
Thauvin’s quality had certainly been predicted long before he started displaying those kind of statistics. Current Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa suggested as far back as six years ago that the winger was going to be “important” for Marseille – an assessment that has certainly been revealed as the truth.
Whilst his former Toulouse boss Alain Casanova once compared the winger to fellow Frenchman Franck Ribery and also dubbed him a “very dangerous” player capable of being able to “disrupt any opponent,” as per the Guardian. He’s not lost any of that ability over the years.
For a player of such immense quality, it would certainly be quite the statement from Palace if they were to secure him.
Rated at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, they would also not have to pay an outright fee for the 28-year-old, instead being able to welcome him to Selhurst Park on a free transfer.
With as many as 16 senior players out of contract and the squad in desperate need of rejuvenation, saving money on the likes of Thauvin really could benefit the squad and indeed the club going into 2021/22.
Palace then must make sure they convince the winger to commit to them instead of their Premier League rivals.
AND in more news, find out which previous transfer target Palace should be trying for once again…