Crystal Palace picked up just their second victory of the season at the expense of Stoke City, who fell to the 15th place in the points table, 13 games into the season. Mark Hughes will hope for a turnaround in the second half of the season and will be looking to add new faces as well, in January, to solve problems evident in the squad.
Having scored 10 goals less than they have conceded, the Potters would want to improve their backline, but in Hughes’ 3-4-3 system, the wing-backs also need to be at their best every game, to have an influence at both ends of the field. But Stoke City have stuck with Mame Biran Diouf, who is a make-shift wing-back.
He has been in decent form this season but the manager will want a permanent fix to this problem and reports claim that Ghana international Daniel Opare is one player he has on his watch-list.
Also wanted by likes of Watford, Everton, AC Milan and Sevilla, Opare is primarily a right-back, who can be used on the other flank as well. Currently the first choice full-back for Bundesliga side Augsburg, the 27-year old has previously spent time with the junior sides at Real Madrid and Porto and is a player with decent calibre.
Strong in the air and smart in his movement, Opare is an excellent dribbler, who is not shy of crossing. It may not be his strongest strait but he is a willing runner, who is more than capable of creating chances in the final third.
His discipline is a bit questionable but his defensive abilities constantly keep his team out of danger. With 1.8 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game, Opare has slightly better numbers than Diouf and is a decent upgrade. The fact that a number of top clubs are also after him, shows his quality and experience at the highest level.
He has 16 international appearances and is an established star and will fit into Mark Hughes’ side pretty well. The manager loves his side to stay on top of the game and needs his wing-backs to create chances and width to his attack.
Diouf has done that well but Opare has better figures in the Bundesliga and it can be argued that spending on the Guinean might solve the right-back problem, for the last time, at the BET365.
The Augsburg man has also excelled in a wing-back role, when used in that position twice this season and could actually walk into the first team under Hughes and at just £2.5m, he is a player Stoke should take a chance on.
