Giannelli Imbula, the Stoke City midfielder is drawing interest from Crystal Palace as they look to improve further under Roy Hodgson. Imbula had spent a season on loan with French Outfit, Toulouse and meanwhile, in England, the Potters went down to the second division.
He was a regular for his side last season as he made 32 appearances for them in all competitions and the midfielder has indicated that he wants to continue playing in Ligue 1. The 25-year-old has had a forgetful last few years as he has failed to establish himself at Porto and Stoke City. The Potters signed him for a club record fee of £18.3m from Portuguese giants Porto in 2016 and he has made just 28 appearances for them since then.
One of the major reasons cited by most for Stoke going down to second division was their poor signings in the transfer market. They did go on to splash good amount of cash but the signings just failed to prove themselves and Imbula was one of those. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to pick his game up if Crystal Palace comes calling for him.
Apart from the Eagles, Newcastle United have also shown an interest in the defensive midfielder but it seems his preferred destination will be somewhere in France.
Apart from the English clubs, he has garnered interests from Galatasaray and Torino and even though he has struggled in the last few years, there is no dearth of playing opportunities in top divisions for the player.
Palace will be looking to reinforce their side further as they look to take on the challenges of the Premier League. They had a strong end to the season and will be hoping that they can regain their momentum once the new campaign begins. They are on the lookout to bring more options in midfield as the likes of Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur were average in their performances last season. Cabaye is set to leave the club as his contract will run out by the end of the month and there are currently no reports of Eagles offering him a new contract.
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Imbula might just get another chance to showcase himself in the Premier League if Crystal Palace makes a move for him. His prime job will be to shield the defence and he will likely be partnered with Luka Milivojevic. However, both of their strengths are on the defensive side of the game and moving for a much more creative ball playing midfielder might be a better bet for Roy Hodgson.
