Throughout the summer, a name that has been constantly linked with a switch to Crystal Palace is Liverpool forward Christian Benteke who finds himself out of favour at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp. The Eagles have already had a £25million bid for Benteke rejected by Liverpool who are holding out to recoup the £32.5m that they paid Aston Villa last summer. Now following the imminent sale of Yannick Bolasie to Everton for £30m, they have the money now to spend and are expected to come back in the hunt for the Belgian target man.
However, Express Sport claims that Alan Pardew is also looking for alternatives for Benteke if he misses out on the big Belgian. With Benteke, Palace wanted a target man with a sensational aerial prowess and there’s another similar striker in the Premier League who might be on the move. Yes, it’s Andy Carroll. Once Liverpool’s club record signing and then West Ham’s club record signing until the Hammers signed Andre Ayew for £20.5m, could well be on the move with Andre Ayew and Jonathan Calleri into the fray.
There are not many strikers in the world, let alone the Premier League, who are better than Carroll when it comes to aerial abilities. However, the Englishman’s game was never all about his brilliance in the air. Carroll, from a very tender age was always destined for big things but could never really hit the top gear of his career.
First, a big-money transfer to Liverpool from Newcastle heaped too much pressure on his young shoulders and the outcome was poor for the talented young forward. Move to West Ham made big sense at that point of time but his misfortune with injuries never really allowed him to perform on a regular basis. In the closing stages of the last season, we saw Carroll at his peak but again, West Ham making too many attacking reinforcements could once again destroy his career.
Carroll desperately needs a club where he will be a trusted general to lead the attack and Crystal Palace are the perfect option for him. The Englishman bade goodbye to his consistent injury troubles during the last season and now is his time to showcase his true caliber.
A classic centre-forward who is blessed with an immense physical strength, powerful shooting ability and of course excellent aerial ability- Carroll has all the ingredients to succeed at a club like Crystal Palace who have a wealth of quality wide players at their club as well as a brilliant midfield in Yohan Cabaye who can pick out Carroll from deep. Carroll could be entering his peak in coming years and having a striker like him in his best form would bring nothing but smiles to Crystal Palace fans.
