After a debacle of a season that saw them finish in the 10th place just a year after lifting the trophy, Chelsea have bounced back in strong fashion in the 2016-17 season having made a number of changes to the squad including the manager. Antonio Conte, the former Italian boss, who has already transformed the Blues into strong contenders for the title this season, has bought in a couple of top class players to help him in his adventure in England and is now looking to shape his squad by letting players who do not fit into his style leave this summer. One such player who might be out of the club come Wednesday is French striker Loic Remy.
The 29-year old who has already made 31 appearances for his national side is one of the many players who has seen their career stall at the Stamford Bridge. He moved to the London outfit back in 2014 from QPR and has ever since made just the 31 appearances, most of which came off the bench.
He made just 20 appearances for the club in all competitions last season and has not been able to impress the new manager at the Bridge. He is yet to make an appearance for the Blues this season and with Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi both making decent starts to the new season, Remy is now completely out of favour at Chelsea and is set for a loan move to Crystal Palace in the coming days.
The 29-year old is a strong centre-forward is known for his burst of pace and decent finishing ability. His best season came at the St James Park back in the 2013-14 season when he was on loan from QPR where he managed to score 14 goals in 26 appearances for the Magpies. His pace in counter attacks was evident in that season as he breezed past opponents with ease. He is adept at creating chances for his side by opening defences up but is more than a decent threat leading the line for a Premier League club as a lone striker.
Palace have already procured the signature of Christian Benteke this summer in a club record deal and Pardew is adamant that he needs more attacking options. The Eagles had a decent start to the previous season but the lack of instinctive finishing in front of goal cost them a place in the top half of the table, a problem that is swiftly addressed by the manager this summer. Palace may not use both Benteke and Remy at once in games this season but the duo has what it takes to establish a fruitful partnership in front of goal. The pace of Remy along with the strength and ariel threat of Benteke make Palace’s attack one of the most balanced in the league.
Loic Remy may not have produced the kind of performance expected from him in the previous two seasons but Chelsea hardly play to his strengths which saw his effectiveness reduce even further. Pardew is smart enough to set up his team to the strengths of his two attackers and if the team can buy into the philosophy quickly, Remy may yet be able to grow into a better striker in the English league and help Palace reach the top half of the table. What do you think Remy will add to Palace’s attack this season?
