[ad_pod ]

A report by The Times (subscription required) suggests that Crystal Palace could lose both Christian Benteke and Alexander Sorloth this summer, with the former subject to a £15m from Chinese outfit Shandong Luneng Taisan and the latter having failed to impress since signing in January 2018.

Unlike Benteke, Sorloth has had few opportunities to impress in the starting XI and has notched just once in 20 appearances - an output that has left the Palace bigwigs underwhelmed with and willing to sell on the £9m striker.

The 23-year-old was surely brought in to be deputy to the aforementioned Benteke but, instead, Michy Batshuayi was signed a year later to replace the big Belgian, leaving Sorloth to stagnate in the reserves until an opportunity abroad presented itself.

Belgian outfit Gent offered the former Midtjylland hitman the chance to jumpstart his career again but he failed to take it, netting five times in 22 appearances. It looks as though Sorloth's career at Palace is hanging in the balance, but what do Football FanCast's writers think of the situation? Are the Eagles casting their judgement too soon? Read on for their verdicts...

Ben Goodwin

"If Christian Benteke is indeed on his way out, then Palace should give Sorloth another season. He has been woeful since moving to Selhurst Park, there’s no doubt about that, but some players take a couple of years to adjust to English football, and he is still only 23. Providing the Eagles bring in a quality centre forward, like Michy Batshuayi, who can take the brunt of the goalscoring pressure, Sorloth could still be useful as a target man off the bench. He also has a contract at the club until 2022, so it would not be a horrific financial decision to wait one more term before making a decision."

Harry Sherlock

"It just hasn’t worked, has it? Sorloth has scored just once for the club in a total of 20 appearances and it feels as though he isn’t cut out for life in the Premier League. A loan spell at Gent hasn’t really turned up too many goals, either, and it feels as though he needs a move away to get his career back on track. A £9million fee looks foolish in retrospect but it was always a punt; Palace are unlikely to get their money back but this is the time for the club to let him loose."

A Crystal Palace fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Eagles in the video below...

James Beavis

"Yes they should. From what we've seen it seems clear that Sorloth isn't suited to the Premier League, and in that respect what is the point of keeping him in the hope he will come good? Palace's gamble didn't pay off and now they must admit defeat this summer, sell the Norwegian and then bring in a quality replacement who suits their style of play. What is for sure is that Zaha and Townsend won't miss him having played with the far superior Batshuayi in recent months."