Why Crystal Palace must pursue an interest in Fabio Borini
According to a report by Chronicle Live, Crystal Palace are interested in a move to sign out-of-favour AC Milan forward Fabio Borini in January. If a move does materialize, it wouldn’t be the Italian’s first time in the Premier League.
Having started his career with Bologna, he joined Chelsea in 2007. However, that wasn’t his only spell in England. After a loan spell with Swansea City, the attacker moved to AS Roma only to return to the English top-tier with Liverpool in 2012.
Ultimately, he ended up at Sunderland but once the club got relegated in 2017, he joined AC Milan for a fee of £5.3million.
However, things have hardly worked out for him in the Serie A and he has been a benchwarmer for a good majority of the campaign so far. The fact that he has made just 2 league appearances for the Milan-based outfit in the ongoing term speaks volumes of his lack of impact.
Borini will be out of contract at the end of the season, meaning Palace could sign him for free if they wait until the summer. But would it be a wise move?
As things stand, Crystal Palace are placed 13th in the standings but they are just 5 points ahead of the dreaded relegation zone.
With some tough fixtures coming up, the situation can change in the blink of an eye. And hence, the Eagles must be wary of every move they make with respect to transfers in the near future. They have managed to score just 11 goals in 13 games and that is a poor tally.
Wilfried Zaha seems like a shadow of his former self and Christian Benteke is just a lost cause at this point. And if Palace are to safeguard their Premier League status, they must fix their goalscoring woes at the earliest.
While Borini is a striker by trade, he can also play as a left-winger. In fact, the 28-year-old also played as a central midfielder in AC Milan’s opening league game of the current term.
If nothing else, Borini’s versatility could prove to be a huge advantage for Roy Hodgson. After all, Max Meyer, who usually plays either on the left wing or in central midfield, has been struggling to make a name for himself at Selhurst Park.
In addition to being a viable option to boost Palace’s goals, Borini could also challenge Meyer for a regular starting spot. While attempting to sign him would be a gamble, Palace should take a chance and make the move.
