It’s only a matter of time before Yannick Bolasie moves to Everton from Crystal Palace for a deal worth £25million, laden with clauses that could take it as high as £30m. The Congolese international bade farewell to his Crystal Palace teammates and travelled to Merseyside on Sunday to complete a club-record move to Everton. It will be a deal that speaks volumes about how the transfer market is inflated nowadays. Just a few years ago, you could get the likes of Eden Hazard for that amount of money and now it gets you Bolasie.
Crystal Palace are the clear winners from the deal but they have to use the cash wisely in the remainder of the summer. Reports suggest that the money will be straight away splashed on Liverpool forward Christian Benteke and that will be a good deal as the Eagles need a quality striker badly. However, they also need to replace Bolasie with a player who can create menace from the flanks.
It has been reported by The Nottingham Post that Crystal Palace wants Nottingham Forest winger Oliver Burke as a replacement for Bolasie. Even though the club signed Andros Townsend much before they parted ways with Bolasie and the English international is easily the best wide player at Selhurst Park right now, the South Londoners need a new winger to compete with Zaha and Puncheon for a first team place.
An academy product of Nottingham Forest’s youth academy, Burke has shown plenty of promise since making his debut during the 2014-15 season. The Scottish winger is exceptionally well-built for his age. With a frame of 6’2″, he is a strong player who can outrun as well as outmuscle defenders just like Bolasie. Having made 26 appearances in all competitions for Forest till date, Burke has made his name among the biggest prospects in the Championship right now and a step up to the Premier League is well deserved.
Already capped twice for Scotland, Burke is touted to have a big future for his country, a glimmer of hope in Scotland’s darkest days. A player Burke largely resembles in his early days in Gareth Bale. The 19-year-old is a direct winger and likes to beat defenders with his blistering pace. Still a raw talent, the Scot can be moulded into a Premier League regular in coming years if the right guidance is offered.
With Townsend, Zaha and Puncheon at the club already, Crystal Palace can afford to take a chance with the youngster. There won’t be too much pressure on his young shoulders right away after the move and Palace can offer him time to be ready for the Premier League. £8m is a bit high for a young player but that’s the state of the market right now. Crystal Palace does have the cash and should not have a second thought before spending it.
