Crystal Palace are yet to open their account in the Premier League having lost all their seven matches till now. To make the situation worse, they haven’t scored a single goal till now which has been the main concern for manager Roy Hodgson.
The former England manager has been on the lookout for a short-term solution to this problem and Alberto Gilardino could be the player he is looking for. The 35-year-old is currently a free agent having parted ways with Pescara and according to reports, Palace are monitoring him at the moment.
Christian Benteke has been ruled out for a lengthy period and the situation is getting out of hand. Gilardino is someone who can be trusted as he has a decorated career playing at some of the biggest clubs in the world including AC Milan and Fiorentina in the past.
The 35-year-old has the perfect mix of experience and strength and could prove to be a handy player in this situation. The centre-forward has been in Italy except for one season when he was lured to the Chinese Super League. Hodgson is well aware of the striker’s ability and is set to offer him a short-term contract until the end of this season. Gilardino’s CV is pretty impressive which includes a World Cup trophy and a Champions League title.
He netted once as the Azzurri went on to lift the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He also helped AC Milan to win the Champions League back in 2007 and might be able to help the English club with all his resources.
Palace failed to muster a single goal against Manchester United as they were humiliated 4-0 at the Old Trafford. Bakery Sako was leading the line for the Eagles but he failed to capitalise on the chance he got and was pretty ordinary throughout the match.
Gilardino had been training with Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact but the club didn’t offer him a contract. There won’t be a dearth of suitors for him but before committing himself to a different challenge he might be interested in plying a short spell in England.
He hasn’t been in good form of late but Palace have to take a risk. He left Pescara last season and since then is without a club. Palace are stuttering at the bottom of the Premier League table and Hodgson needs to do something outrageous to get out of this miserable situation. Gilardino might just be it.
