Crystal Palace are open to offloading their English striker Connor Wickham, according to reports.
The Sun reported yesterday (August 4; page 67) that a host of Championship clubs are after the 26-year-old and that Crystal Palace will listen to any offers.
According to the same report, Palace would rather sell the centre-forward, however, they would consider allowing him to leave on loan before the window slams shut on Thursday.
The Sun has three teams down for chasing his signature, all from England’s second-tier – Bristol City, Stoke City and Reading – who are all wanting striking reinforcements.
Wickham cost Palace £7m from Sunderland in 2015, however, a selection of injury problems has limited him to just 42 games in a Palace shirt, where he has had a decent return of 10 goals and four assists (Transfermarkt).
Any exit should depend on Palace’s ability to draft in replacements.
He has only played 35 league games for Palace since joining four years ago, with 21 of those coming in his first season at the club. Since the turn of the 2016/17, he has only played 14 times in the league for the club and therefore – in an ideal world – Palace should not keep him around on the wage bill, especially if there is truth in Spotrac’s estimates, which say he earns £60,000 per week.
Palace, however, would be foolish to let Wickham go as it stands unless they bring in at least one more striker to their frontline.
With the loan sale of Alexander Sorloth – who joined Trabzonspor on a two-year loan deal – only Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Connor Wickham are conventional strikers. Considering that the striker who scored the most goals for Palace last term in Michy Batshuayi (five goals) will not be returning to the club as it stands, Palace need more goals in their ranks.
If Palace can’t get in more strikers, then Wickham shouldn’t be allowed to leave. In an ideal world, the former Ipswich man would no longer be needed but, as it stands, there just aren’t the bodies to start letting strikers go considering the relative dearth of potent options in those particular ranks.
Will Wickham finish the season at Palace? Join the discussion by commenting below…
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