Patrick Vieira is reportedly looking to add a highly rated Championship striker to his ranks…
What’s the word?
According to Alan Nixon of The Sun, Crystal Palace have switched their attention to Antoine Semenyo following the departure of Christian Benteke.
The Eagles have dipped into the Championship on numerous occasions, having success with the likes of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.
They could now be set to add another young talent to this list, with the 22-year-old potentially costing £12m should they make their interest more concrete.
He could challenge Edouard & Mateta
With Benteke leaving the club, and a Championship striker set to be his replacement, many could be fooled into thinking Semenyo will be brought in simply to make up the numbers as their fifth deal of the summer.
Would Antoine Semanyo be a success at Crystal Palace?
However, this move could be deceptively impressive for Vieira, who will add a young and hungry striker who will want to challenge both Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Phillipe Mateta for that starting spot.
Last season was something of a breakout season for the Ghana international, as he scored eight and set up an astounding 12 in a Bristol City side that slumped to a mediocre 17th-placed finish.
Edouard only mustered six goals last season, whilst Mateta could only manage five. Semenyo could surely achieve numbers similar to this with a season to acclimatise, having proved both his proficiency and creativity last year.
His 7.03 average SofaScore rating also suggests that he would be a consistent performer across a long campaign, and averaging 1.1 key passes per game only reinforces how the £3.5k-per-week earner, who has been dubbed a “nightmare for defenders” by Nigel Pearson, has the ability to forge chances in every game he plays.
The exciting prospect who Martin Keown dubbed “a really good target man” has all the ability to step in and perform straight away for Vieira’s exciting youthful side, and would offer a fierce new dynamic alongside the other Championship graduates.
He would bring a freshness to Palace’s striking position that the somewhat stiff Mateta and Edouard lack, and would make Eagles fans quickly forget all about the departure of Benteke.
