Crystal Palace have made a questionable transfer decision, with less than a month left of the summer window…
What’s the word?
According to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay, the Eagles aren’t expected to sign a striker before the deadline.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Personally, with Benteke going it feels like another striker would be welcomed, but from what I’m hearing, they’re not after another striker.”
With Christian Benteke having just left to link up with Wayne Rooney at DC United, Patrick Vieira’s side are now light in the striking department. This news will worry Palace fans, as they go into the season with only two sub-par strikers.
It’s a rare Vieira mistake
Despite being linked to several strikers across the summer window, it seems that Vieira is set on his squad after making plenty of choice additions across his side.
The defence and midfield have earned the most attention from the Frenchman - with the likes of Chris Richards, Cheick Doucoure and Malcolm Ebiowei making the move to Selhurst Park - and not adding one quality striker to complete the rebuild for this window seems a strange move after such a strong start to the summer.
Especially considering the toothless nature of their strikers from last season, with Odsonne Edouard outscoring both Benteke (four goals) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (five goals) with just six league goals of his own, it would appear as if a ten-plus-goal striker should have been a priority purchase for Palace.
Combining the three forwards' Premier League goals from last season only equates to 15 goals, just one more than their talisman Wilfried Zaha’s 14 league goals.
Bringing someone in to alleviate the goalscoring burden on the 29-year-old would have made perfect sense, and surely would have helped improve on their 50-goal haul from last season.
Especially given their second top scorer from last season Conor Gallagher has now returned to Chelsea after his successful loan spell, they will be left even lighter for the new season in the goalscoring department.
It should be seen as a huge mistake not to fill this hole left by Benteke, as it presented the perfect opportunity to bring a young and hungry forward in to start and be backed up by Edouard and Mateta, who can offer fine options from the bench.