Crystal Palace’s summer spending spree – if it even exists – has yet to take off this summer, but plenty of their relegation rivals have been busy adding significant quality to their ranks.
The Eagles had just about enough quality to secure their survival last season with Roy Hodgson at the helm. However, Hodgson is no miracle worker and cannot be expected to steer the club clear of the bottom-three once again next season without adequate investment.
But as of yet, the powers that be at Palace have failed to provide Hodgson with new players ahead of the new season; meanwhile, plenty of their closest rivals have been busy in the transfer market, especially two of the new recently promoted sides, namely Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Cottagers look set to confirm their fourth signing of the window imminently, with Andre Schurrle set to join up with Slavisa Jokanovic on a season-long loan deal from Borussia Dortmund.
That’s the word from the London Evening Standard and various other news outlets who claim Fulham will close a deal for the 27-year-old attacker shortly, despite the fact that Palace had shown an interest in his signature.
On the one hand it’s a disappointment that Palace look set to miss out on a key target but, perhaps more significantly, Fulham’s latest deal suggests that the fight for survival will be even more intense next season.
Jokavnoic has already secured one major coup this summer by signing the highly-regarded Jean Michael Seri from Nice, but the deal for Schurrle proves that Seri’s arrival was no freak accident; indeed, Fulham is a desirable destination for top quality players and they possess the financial backing to sign the targets they want.
And that’s without even considering the fact that Dortmund could step up their reported interest in Wilfried Zaha now that they have offloaded Schurrle – whom the Bundesliga giants signed for a whopping £27 million in 2016.
With time running out before the new season gets underway, Palace simply cannot afford to stand still and watch their rivals snap up some of Europe’s top talent whilst they do nothing to strengthen the squad, as their failure to respond to the activity of their rivals with some deals of their own could prove to be fatal next season.
Crystal Palace fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
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