Roy Hodgson may not have given Crystal Palace a season to remember but he did pretty well to take the club out of the hole they seemed to have dug for themselves at the start of the recent campaign. The Eagles are ambitious in the English top flight and will want to fight for a place in Europe next season. They have a squad that can get close to achieving it, but may need some additions this summer for a real shot at European football.
This has seen Palace linked with a wide range of stars this summer and the latest name linked with a move to the club is Stuart Armstrong.
A product of the academy at Dundee United, the 26-year old was snapped up by Celtic back in 2015 and has been a mainstay in the side ever since. He made a total of 27 league appearances lasts season, picking up three goals, helping him to break into the Scottish national side.
He already has six appearances for his country and over 200 league appearances in the Scottish Premiership and is an established star already. He is a versatile midfielder, who can play anywhere in the midfield roles and at just 26, is only going to improve playing with players that are better than him.
It was earlier reported that Armstrong is stalling over a new contract at Celtic Park and that Rodgers might be happy to let him leave this summer. A number of clubs are interested in his services but Palace are in the front seat to take him to London. He is expected to cost over £4m, so is he an option for the Eagles?
An ever-improving presence in the middle of the park for Celtic, Armstrong is a quick, strong and athletic midfielder, with decent vision and technique to produce defence breaking passes from the back. He is a decent dribbler but is hard to catch, thanks to his acceleration over short distances. He can also pick a pass from long range but is adept at build-up play, thanks to his positioning sense and awareness of the situation around him.
He is disciplined, happy to do the dirty work and is the kind of a player Hodgson loves to have in his side. The English manager used Luka Milivojevic regularly in the midfield last season while Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur have also been decent in those roles. But Palace need an upgrade immediately if they are to climb up the points table and Armstrong, with all his experience is as good an option as any.
