Crystal Palace Opinion: Eagles should avoid signing Mo Diame
According to the Daily Star, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Newcastle United midfielder Mo Diame in the summer, with Brighton and Hove Albion also keen to get the experienced Senegalese enforcer on board at the end of the season.
The same report claims that Diame is facing an uncertain future at Tyneside, with his contract set to expire in the summer. They want to trigger a 12-month extension but Diame wants his long-term future secured and might as well head for the exit door to look for other options.
Diame arrived at Newcastle from Hull City in 2016 for a fee of £3.5 million and has made a total of 99 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.
The former West Ham and Hull City man has started 22 games for Newcastle in the Premier League this season but he has failed to regain his place in the first team since the turn of the year following his absence due to injury, with the in-form duo of Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff keeping the Senegalese ace on the bench.
The former West Ham and Hull City man has started 22 games for Newcastle in the Premier League this season but he has failed to regain his place in the first team since the turn of the year following his absence due to injury, with the in-form duo of Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff keeping the Senegalese ace on the bench.
Talking about Crystal Palace’s links with the Diame, he is not the sort of player who has the ability to light up the stadium with moments of brilliance, but he is more a hardworking central midfielder who chips in with a decent 6/10 performance every week.
The news won’t really excite the fans too much simply because the Eagles already have plenty of established options in central midfield and someone like Diame is unlikely to add anything extra to what they already have.
Roy Hodgson’s side have struggled for creativity in the midfield and lack of firepower up front, with summer signing Max Meyer failing to adapt to the Premier League and Christian Benteke spending large quarters of the season on the sidelines.
Wilfred Zaha and Andros Townsend have worked tirelessly in the final third while much of the creativity has been provided by James McArthur. Luka Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyate have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the midfield, with the duo keeping things ticking and complementing each other really well.
Diame is a tough-tackling all-action central midfielder with loads of Premier League experience but the veteran is reaching the final phase of his career at 31. Moreover, Hodgson would find it difficult to accommodate the former Senegalese international in his first-team plans, with Milivojevic, Kouyate and McArthur firing on all cylinders.
He could still add more depth to their squad but Palace would be better off investing in some young creative midfielders to add that X-factor to their ranks.
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Palace need to add at least another attacking midfielder and a prolific striker to their ranks to challenge for a top-ten finish in the Premier League next term. Signing Diame would only increase their wage bills and, that said, the Eagles should avoid making a move for the veteran.
