Sam Allardyce completed yet another survival mission in the Premier League this term as Crystal Palace achieved a thumping win over Hull City last week to seal their stay in top-flight of English football. Palace now stand at the 13th position of the league table with just one game to go.
The former England manager has come under intense criticisms over the past few years but bad management is not one of them. The first thing that the 62-year-old did soon after taking over Palace last winter was to improve the lack lustrous squad left behind by Alan Pardew. And the winter shopping done by Allardyce was instrumental to Palace’s revived form in the last few months of the season.
Palace have seen off threats like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea successfully in their reverse fixtures and Allardyce’s bringing in the likes of Mamadou Sakho and Luka Milivojevic has played quintessential roles in the revival. And he is looking to add few more this summer looking to come back stronger next season.
If reports are to believed, then the Eagles are eyeing a move for Manchester City’s Fabian Delph next. The 27-year-old moved to Etihad Stadium with lots of promise but has failed to keep up his end of the bargain mainly owing to injuries. A central midfielder by nature, Delph is known for his fantastic passing and dribbling abilities.
He can also play on the left wing with equal ease, a position Guardiola has used him in the few games he has played this season. A Leeds United academy product, Delph moved to Aston Villa back in 2009 amidst huge hype but failed miserably scoring thrice and assisting seven times over a span of three seasons.
City bought him in 2015 and where he has managed three goals in two seasons so far. Now, with Guardiola eyeing a major revamp of the squad this summer, which includes lots of players moving out of the club, Delph surely doesn’t count his future under the Spanish gaffer anymore.
Though the midfielder has shown potential glimpses of his abilities at the half-line, it is his affinity towards injuries that will be a stumbling block. Since Pellegrini bought him back in 2015, Delph has been injured seven times, which forced him to miss 52 games in two years.
And now with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Aleix Garcia proving their mettle in City’s midfield, Delph is unlikely to get first team action regularly. The only positive aspect of the deal for Palace will be that, given his injury history, the Eagles could land the talented player for a cheaper price.
