A potential spanner in the works has arisen in regards to Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Kyle Walker-Peters, as the Tottenham man is expected to meet Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Well, The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent Dominic Fifield fed his followers the words of Roy Hodgson last week prior to the 1-1 draw against Arsenal, in which the former England manager said that discussions were taking place over the deal and that Sporting Director Dougie Freedman is working hard – the 72-year-old also added that he was optimistic over the move happening.
Roy Hodgson on Kyle Walker-Peters' potential move to #cpfc from #coys: “I know that the discussions are taking place, and Dougie Freedman is working very hard on that aspect. I’m optimistic and hopeful that we can get Kyle here. First hand, it was being discussed as a loan.”
— Dominic Fifield (@domfifield) January 10, 2020
Walker-Peters has only made three Premier League starts this season as he sits behind Ivory Coast international Serge Aurier in the pecking order, and looks likely to leave north London this month.
The Eagles are in need of a new right-back as Joel Ward remains sidelined through injury, where Martin Kelly – who is more comfortable at centre-back – has had to cover for the former Portsmouth man.
It is typical that football managers are usually coy on transfer dealings unless a deal is close, so the fact that Hodgson spoke out on Walker-Peters’ potential switch to south London was partly telling.
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The Athletic – an extremely reliable source – also said that a loan move for the England U21 international was ‘close’ in their January transfer tracker, reported on the 8th day of the month.
So, in light of the news that the 22-year-old is set to meet up with Southampton and Hasenhuttl following the 72-year-old’s public revelation and The Athletic’s update, a potential spanner has been thrown in the works for Hodgson and Freedman.
The move might not be as plain sailing as it looked to be last week, as the Saints also need a new right-back to help bolster their backline that has conceded 39 goals in 22 Premier League games this term – the third-most in the division.
In other news, Victor Camarasa’s exit means Hodgson can do one much-needed thing for Crystal Palace…