Why Crystal Palace should reignite interest in Bradley Dack
Back in December 2018, a report from The Sun had mentioned Crystal Palace among the potential suitors for Blackburn Rovers playmaker Bradley Dack. London rivals West Ham were also understood to be keen on a move for the 26-year-old while the Daily Mail (h/t Lancashire Live) reported in 2019 that Aston Villa and Brighton had also lined up the Blackburn star as a target.
However, rumours linking Dack with a move to the Premier League never really came to fruition, with Blackburn previously demanding a hefty £18million ransom to part ways with their star man.
Profile
Bradley Dack started his footballing education at Charlton Athletic before completing his development at Gillingham and made his professional debut in League Two during the 2012-13 season.
He played a key role as Gillingham secured promotion to League One at the end of the 2013-14 season. He eventually established himself as one of the most influential attackers in the third-tier.
An impressive tally of 38 goals and 34 assists in 185 appearances for Gillingham paved the way for a move to Blackburn Rovers in 2017. Dack plundered 18 goals in his debut season at Ewood Park to guide Rovers to promotion in League One.
He followed it up with 15 goals and 7 assists in the Championship during the 2018-19 campaign. He made his mark over the course of an eye-catching debut season in the second-tier.
Dack scored 9 times in 22 league appearances for Rovers last term before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury that has kept him on the sidelines for 11 months. However, the playmaker is back in training and is expected to make his return after the international break. The 26-year-old has amassed 46 goals and 24 assists in 114 appearances for Rovers in all competitions.
Dack would be an exciting addition to Palace’s ranks
Crystal Palace roped in exciting young playmaker Eberechi Eze from QPR in the summer. Eze has already made a positive start to life in the Premier League. He recently scored a spectacular free-kick in the Eagles’ 4-1 rout of Leeds United.
Roy Hodgson, though, needs to reshape his midfield options even further. James MacArthur (34) is nearing his twilight while James McCarthy (29) and Luka Milivojevic (29) aren’t getting any younger. Max Meyer is among the very few out-and-out attacking midfielders in the ranks at Selhurst Park but the German has made little to no impact.
Palace should, therefore, look to bring in another central attacking midfielder to compete with Eze, with McCarthy and Milivojevic predominantly featuring in holding and box-to-box roles. And reigniting interest in Bradley Dack would definitely make a lot of sense.
The 26-year-old boasts an envious track record of goals and assists in League One and the Championship. He has certainly done more than enough to warrant a shot at proving his credentials in the Premier League. Besides his obvious adeptness at scoring and creating goals, Dack also has the tenacity to slot seamlessly into Hodgson’s system at Palace.
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Verdict
Suffice to say, Palace need more creative outlets in the middle to reduce the burden on the likes of Zaha and Townsend. Bradley Dack has proven himself to be a cut above the rest across various divisions in the Football League. At 26, the time might just be right for him to make the step up to the PL, with his best years still ahead of him.
