Crystal Palace Opinion: Eagles should go all out to sign Duvan Zapata
According to The Sun, Crystal Palace have joined the race to sign Sampdoria striker Duvan Zapata, with reports claiming that the 28-year-old might be available for around £15million this summer.
Zapata has enjoyed a brilliant loan spell at Atalanta from Sampdoria, contributing with 22 goals and 7 assists in 36 appearances in the Serie A to keep his club in the race for a Champions League spot.
The Sun understands that the 28-year-old has agreed to return to Atalanta for another loan spell but Palace are very much in the mix to sign him on a permanent deal from Sampdoria in the summer transfer window following an outstanding season in the Italian top-flight.
The Colombian hitman’s stocks have risen significantly and Palace are not the only London-based club to have been credited with an interest in the 28-year-old, with east London giants West Ham also keeping close tabs on the in-form striker. (h/t Tuttosport)
Zapata rose to prominence with famous Colombian club Deportivo Cali and furthered his development in the Argentinian top-flight at Estudiantes before completing a move to the Serie A with Napoli in 2013.
His time at Napoli wasn’t a particularly productive one, however, with the Colombian only playing a bit-part role in the first team and managing 15 goals in 54 outings.
The 28-year-old moved to Sampdoria in 2017 and netted 11 times in the Serie A prior to his move to Atalanta on loan last summer. His tally of 22 goals is the highest that he has managed over the course of his career, and at 28, the time might just be right for him to make a move to the Premier League and announce himself on the bigger stage.
To put things into perspective, Duvan Zapata could prove to be an absolute gem of a signing for Crystal Palace and Roy Hodgson shouldn’t have any second thoughts about this move given that he has been in a scintillating run of form this season.
It is a no-brainer that the Eagles need to revamp their options up front to achieve better things in the Premier League and Zapata can help them improve massively in that aspect.
Christian Benteke has struggled for form and fitness over the past couple of campaigns and Wilfred Zaha has been forced to shoulder much of the attacking workload up front, with Andros Townsend also blowing hot and cold.
Chelsea loanee Mitchy Batshuayi lit up Selhurst Park with some crucial goals in the latter stages of the season but he is likely to return to Stamford Bridge, with the Blues currently facing a transfer ban/
Swansea loanee Jordan Ayew and youngster Alexander Sorloth have been anything but productive while Connor Wickham has struggled a lot with recurrent injuries.
Hence, Palace would do themselves a world of good by bringing in Zapata from Sampdoria and few would argue that the Colombian has got all the attributes to replicate his prolific goalscoring form in the Premier League.
Standing at 6ft. 2 inches with a well-built frame, Zapata is quite fast, agile and athletic for a striker of his stature, attributes which should make it a lot easier for him to cope with the physical, as well as dynamic nature, of the Premier League.
He has got a good turn of pace to go with his above-average dribbling skills and flair on the ball, whilst also being a dominant presence inside the box with his physicality and aerial ability.
Blessed with the killer instincts of an out-and-out centre-forward, Zapata uses his footballing intelligence to good effect- losing his marker and outsmarting the defenders with his clever movement in and around the penalty area.
A clinical finisher with both head and feet, the Colombian also excels with his slick link-up play, well-rounded passing attributes and work-rate, making him a player to watch out for in the final third.
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To conclude, signing Duvan Zapata would be a massive statement of intent from Palace, and a move that reflects their ambitions in the seasons to come. It could help them to keep hold of other stars like Zaha and Wan-Bissaka, and if Zapata manages to replicate the kind of form that he has shown in the Serie A this term, the Eagles might as well head for a top-ten finish in the Premier League next season.
