This article forms part of our Transfer Scenario feature, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at a recent transfer rumour and suggests what the potential consequences would be, should a deal be completed.
With Crystal Palace linked with a new player this week in Cameron John, Transfer Tavern takes a look at the player in a little bit more detail and weighs up how he could get on at Palace if the move does come to fruition.
According to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace join Leicester City and Middlesbrough in the teams interested in signing Wolves centre back.
The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Doncaster Rovers, who plays on the left side of centre-back for Darren Moore’s side.
The report goes onto say that John is now in the final year of his contract at Molineux, although there is allegedly another option for a further year.
A PROMISING TALENT
Despite only being 20, Cameron John has taken no time to blend into this Doncaster squad. Considering that this is his first loan deal and first taste of professional football, to play six of the first eight games for Doncaster this season is an impressive feat.
Not only has he been playing consistently for Rovers, but he has been playing consistently well. According to WhoScored, the defender has been their third-best player this season for players that have played more than one game, averaging a rating of 7.04 – he has also managed to grab a goal, too.
Cameron John hasn’t been there long but he has already become an important part of this team. Doncaster look very strong defensively so far, conceding the second least amount of goals in the league so far.
PALACE’S AGING SQUAD
Another reason why Palace may be considering John is that they have an incredibly old squad – especially in the central defensive positions.
At the moment, Palace have the options of Gary Cahill (33), Scott Dann (32), Mamadou Sakho (29), Martin Kelly (29) and James Tomkins (30), who as their ages suggest, are unlikely to have at least reached or gotten past their peak.
According to Transfermarkt, Crystal Palace have an average of 28.8, which simply isn’t sustainable for years to come. There are very few youngsters coming through at Palace, which means they either need to start signing much younger options or start bringing up players through their youth system, as their current team needs freshening up when you consider they have the joint oldest squad in the league with Burnley.
WELL STOCKED
Despite Palace’s massively old squad, they do have a fair bit of Premier League experience – especially in the centre back positions, wherein fairness they are pretty well stocked.
All five of those previously mentioned have been playing in the top division for a number of years, and in Gary Cahill and Mamadou Sakho they have two players who have had a lot of international experience.
It’s also fair to argue that this could Palace’s best position out of all their squad. So far this season the Eagles have been pretty solid defensively, only conceding one goal in three at home and seven overall from six matches – only two more than the best in the league in Liverpool.
If Cameron John did join the Eagles, he could help add some vital youth into the squad. However, even if he did come to SE25, Palace would probably have to either only utilise him in the cup games or send him out on loan to get more experience, as the previous five names are much more ready for Premier League football considering he has only ever played six league matches in his career, all at League One level.
Would you back this move, Palace fans? Join the discussion by commenting below…
