Le Havre left back Ferland Mendy has emerged as a new target for Crystal Palace. The Eagles are yet to announce their next manager after Sam Allardyce decided to part ways with the club. Big Sam had successfully kept them away from the relegation as the Eagles maintained their status in the Premier League for another term.
Le Havre has been one of the finest producers of talented players with the likes of Paul Pogba and Steve Mandanda having emerged from their academy. Mendy started his career with the Ligue 2 club and broke onto the scene back in 2015. He hasn’t had to look back since then as he has gone on to stamp his authority in the starting lineup.
Mendy is valued at around £7m and has only a year left on his contract. His price is within the range of the Premier League side but having splashed a staggering £14m to bring Patrick Van Aanholt from Sunderland it would be a bit of a luxurious attempt to further fork out money for a player who is not proven in the league.
A number of clubs including Brighton & Hove Albion, West Bromwich Albion and Monaco are also considering options for a move to bring the player to their respective clubs. Brighton are unlikely to spend that amount as the newly promoted team have to keep a check their spending.
Tony Pulis is very keen to inject some fresh blood into the starting lineup and he might think of rejigging his back line a little bit. Manchester City have been linked with Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy and the French club have identified his namesake as his replacement should Benjamin leave. City reportedly have been negotiating with Southampton for Ryan Bertrand after Monaco slapped a £40m price tag on Benjamin.
Ferland could be an exciting prospect for Palace. He didn’t have too many chances in the 2015/16 season but he established himself in the starting lineup rapidly for Le Havre this term featuring in 35 appearances for the French team.
The 22-year-old is basically a side back with attacking intent who also loves to overlap. Defensively too he has a lot to offer and his tender age would also help him to redevelop his attributes.
Whoever becomes the next coach would love to work with a player like him and he will learn from his mistakes as he has still a lot to learn in coming days. So a move for him makes sense for the Eagles.
