The Crystal Palace fans don’t know what has happened to their team this season…

The Eagles have really struggled this season, firstly under Frank De Boer and now Roy Hodgson, and it’s very quickly reaching panic stations at Selhurst Park.

Their latest blow, an injury to Christian Benteke, has made life even more difficult for the club, and some of the fans in the Transfer Tavern think that there is no way back at this point.

Roy Hodgson, though, seemingly has a plan, and that plan involves Carlton Cole. Currently without a club, the Mirror are reporting that Palace are keen on a move for the Englishman.

Cole is rated at £450,000 by Transfer Markt, and so a move for Palace would represent very good value for money, as he’d have no transfer cost given his free agent status. More importantly, he could be signed prior to the re-opening of the January transfer window, but despite his availability and lack of cost, some of the fans in the pub aren’t happy.

Cole, though a recognised name, has had a poor run of form over the last few years, and the fact that he was recently released by an Indonesian side says it all.

However, there are a few benefits to bringing him in, and the Palace fans should trust Roy Hodgson.

Here are 2 reasons why this £450k-rated attacker could help solve Crystal Palace’s problems…

 Premier League Record

Regardless of what you think of him, and how good he is now, one thing that can’t be discounted is Carlton Cole’s Premier League goalscoring record.

Sure, he has never been an Alan Shearer or a Thierry Henry, but he has scored goals wherever he has been in the Premier League.

He bagged over 50 goals for West Ham, with a career-high of 10 in 2010. That’s not a remarkable record by any means, and he’s a much older player now, but he certainly knows where the net is.

Having scored a grand total of 0 goals so far this season, surely it can’t get any worse for Palace with Cole up-front?

 Experience

Even if he can’t contribute on the pitch, Cole’s influence could be massive for Crystal Palace off the field.

He has played for a number of Premier League teams, and over the course of a decade-plus long career, he has been through every kind of battle in the English top flight.

What Crystal Palace seem to be lacking at present is leadership, and Cole would provide that in droves. This is significant, as even when Christian Benteke returns to the fold, Cole’s influence would remain.