The striker conundrum at Crystal Palace goes on as the South London club saw their second bid for Liverpool forward Christian Benteke knocked back by the Reds. The Eagles, in a desperate need for attacking reinforcements, made an offer of £23 million plus £7m in add-ons for the Belgian attacker but saw their approach turned down by Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool. According to Express Sport, Alan Pardew is now looking for alternatives to the 25-year-old and turned their attentions towards another out of favour Premier League forward, Loic Remy.
Remy has previously worked with Alan Pardew on a season-long loan from Queens Park Rangers whilst in charge of the Newcastle United and is eager to reunite with the former Marseille star. That was the Frenchman’s best season in English football where he notched up 14 goals from 26 Premier League games. The 29-year-old has failed to sustain his form following that brilliant season as he played only a bit-part role for Chelsea over the last two seasons.
Chelsea have snapped up the signing of Michy Batshuayi from Marseille this summer which makes Remy surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge. A player of Remy’s calibre deserves more time on the pitch than what he got at Chelsea over the last couple of seasons. Badly craving for a move, Crystal Palace would be the ideal club for the Frenchman.
Remy has a blistering pace in his locker and tends to find pockets behind the defensive line. He is a forward who is brilliant both off and on the ball. The 29-year-old is also capable of plying his trade on the flanks and that speaks volumes about what kind of direct player he is. With a frame of 6 ft 1 in, Remy is quite strong as well and cannot be knocked off the ball easily.
Having already worked with Alan Pardew, he won’t be hard to manage initially as he knows the setup Pardew employs. Remy’s career badly needs a revival and Pardew is the man who can help him do that ideally. Remy had his best form in English football under the Englishman and a reunion could benefit him big time.
Crystal Palace’s first-choice forward right now is Connor Wickham and Remy would be a massive upgrade on him. Still aged 29, Remy still has plenty to offer on the big stage. The Frenchman and Crystal Palace seem a match made in heaven.
