Oumar Niasse would be a good signing for Crystal Palace in January
According to the Sun, Crystal Palace have made a £6.5 million bid for Everton striker Oumar Niasse, with Roy Hodgson desperate to add at least one striker to his squad in January.
Palace were heavily linked with a loan move for Liverpool youngster Dominic Solanke in January but the Eagles later withdrew their interest due to the 21-year-old’s lack of match fitness. (h/t Sun)
Niasse, who was signed for £13.5 million from Lokomotiv Moscow in the second half of the 2015-16 season, has been told that he does not feature in Marco Silva’s plans. (h/t Sun)
Niasse has the experience of playing top flight football in Senegal, Turkey, Russia, Norway and England, with his most distinguished spell being the one at Lokomotiv where he racked up 19 goals and 14 assists from 42 appearances across all competitions.
He hasn’t had a good time at Goodison Park since his arrival in 2016. The Senegalese ace was loaned out to Hull City where he had a poor season, scoring only 4 goals in the Premier League. The 28-year-old featured mostly as a substitute for the Toffees last season and tasted moderate success, scoring 8 goals and providing a couple of assists.
However, the arrival of Silva has seen him fall out of favour once again. Niasse hasn’t started a single game for the Toffees this season, with the manager favouring the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front.
The 28-year-old is not the most technically sound striker but he makes up for it with his hardworking nature, pace, strength and flair. Granted, he cannot hold on to the ball for long enough and can be disappointing with his link-up play at times but he excels with his ability to play direct football.
Niasse combines his pace and acceleration with his considerable upper body strength to run at defenders. He is more of an individualistic striker who backs himself to make an impact with his runs behind the back line. He can let the team down with his wayward finishing at times but he is a player with high levels of stamina who can be a constant threat in the final third.
To put things into perspective, he would be a good buy for Crystal Palace as a backup for the likes of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha. Roy Hodgson’s men have struggled for goals all season, with their star striker Christian Benteke sidelined due to a knee injury.
Palace have gone in with one, two and three men up front but none of Hodgson’s tactics have paid any dividends. Zaha has scored 3 goals this season but it would be hard to blame him given that he has been forced to feed on scraps due to lack of creativity in the midfield.
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Although Jordan Ayew opened his account for the season in Palace’s 2-0 win over Wolves, the Eagles need more options to cover for the absence of Benteke. Niasse can bring in that energy to the attack with his work rate and can help Hodgson’s side achieve a better scoring record in the second half of the season.
That said, they should follow up their interest in the Senegalese star and complete the deal as soon as possible.
