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Portuguese media outlet A Bola report that Crystal Palace, along with Spurs and Watford, were monitoring midfielder Hector Herrera's performance for FC Porto during a 1-0 win over Tondela.

What's the word?

The Eagles lost Yohan Cabaye at the end of last season, with the Frenchman joining UAE outfit Al-Nasr after his contract expired, and Hodgson and his recruitment team went searching for a player to fill those boots. With a week to go until the window shut, Max Meyer was brought in on a free, and he was arguably one of the signings of the summer.

But the young German has hardly hit the ground running, starting only one game so far this season.  With midfield enforcer Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur also hitting a bad run of form, Palace look very lacklustre in the middle of the park at the moment.

Hector Herrera could be a potential solution having featured for Mexico during the World Cup this summer, where his team exceeded expectations and also recorded a memorable win over Germany in the group stage.

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A good signing for Palace?

Herrera has carried his form from the World Cup into his domestic competition with FC Porto.

According to WhoScored, he has averaged a match rating of 7.44 from his first seven games, all of which he has started and finished. He has won 2.1 aerial duels per game and achieved a passing success of 86.6%, even getting a goal to his name.

His stats indicate that he is a very well-rounded midfielder, capable of winning a 50/50 before spraying the ball out into dangerous areas, or getting into dangerous areas himself. This kind of approach would be welcomed by Palace fans, who have seen their team's passive play rewarded with just a single point from their four home games this season.

The 28-year-old is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, although he could potentially be available for a lower fee than that given his contract runs out at the end of the season.

His combative style of play would allow him to quickly adjust to the demands of the Premier League and that could be important, because if Palace cannot resurrect their form before Christmas they could be staring through the Premier League trap door.