Amid doubt about Mark Guech’s future at the club, Crystal Palace is reportedly competing to sign a Serie A defender who he has already scouted during his current campaign.
Crystal Palace in the shape of Wembley
Still a week of history being able to end, Crystal Palace couldn’t head to this weekend’s FA Cup final against Manchester City. The Eagles have not experienced defeat in any of their final five games and have seen their class on top of Tottenham Hotspur the last time as they eased a 2-0 victory over their London rivals.
Oliver Glasner is well aware that the victory over Tottenham was a good start to a very important week after revealing how Crystal Palace prepares for this week’s FA Cup final.
The Austrian told reporters: “Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow (Monday). I’ll recover from the start players (against the Spurs) and the other players will have a good, intense session.
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Concerns about the Eagles…
“Then it’s off on Tuesday. The players deserve to recover. Of course, the staff have already started preparing. We’ll also see some Man City clips. Wednesday will mark the start of Man City preparations.
“But we can’t do anything different. It doesn’t make sense (to do that). It shows that we are at the highest level, doing what we can (do) and that’s how we enter the finals.
Meanwhile, amid a chaos of potential silverware, Crystal Palace had to keep an eye on the rapid summer moving windows. With Guehi reporting once again at the center of interest from something like Newcastle United, the Eagles reportedly are aiming for potential alternatives.
Crystal Palace Scout Bologna Defender Lukumi
According to Bootroom, Crystal Palace is considering signing John Lukumi from Bologna this summer after Steve Parish sent scouts on a fresh mission to see the defender. Racing alongside Liverpool and Leeds United, people from Selhurst Park should push them to sign Serie A Star as soon as possible, especially if Guehi leaves.
League statistics 24/25 P90 (via FBREF) | Jawie Lucia | Mark Guech |
|---|---|---|
start | 27 | 34 |
Progressive Pass | 3.56 | 3.94 |
The tackle won | 1.04 | 1 |
Ball recovery | 6.04 | 4.26 |
As the numbers show, Lukmi can be replaced by stepping into Guehi in southern London. What stands out instantly is that the Bologna defender is better than the Crystal Palace star when it comes to tackle and ball recovery, while keeping him pretty much matching on progressive passes around 90.
Rukumi, described as “a ridiculously impressive” by analyst Ben Matinson last year, appears doomed to travel from Italy. But whether that means that a move to Crystal Palace will take place should be seen. But it’s clear he’s talented enough for the Premier League.