Why Crystal Palace should sign Logan Chalmers as a long-term prospect
According to The Courier, Crystal Palace are among a host of clubs in England to register an interest in highly-rated Dundee United striker Logan Chalmers.
Premier League rivals Southampton and Championship outfit Birmingham City also had scouts in attendance during Dundee United’s 2-1 win over St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership last week as Chalmers caught the eye with a man-of-the-match performance. (h/t The Courier)
The report also mentions that the 20-year-old, who still has two years remaining on his current deal at Tannadice, is unlikely to be sold by Dundee United on the cheap this summer.
Profile
Logan Chalmers joined Dundee United’s academy at the age of 10 and signed his first professional contract back in 2016 after impressing for the club’s youth sides.
The 20-year-old made his professional debut as a substitute in a 4-1 win over Cowdenbeath in a Scottish League Cup tie in 2017. He featured sporadically for Dundee United in the Scottish Championship over the next two seasons while also spending time on loan at fellow second-tier outfit Arbroath.
Chalmers has enjoyed more involvement since the appointment of Micky Mellon as the manager earlier this summer. The former Scotland U-17 international has featured in each of Dundee United’s first eight matchday squads in the Scottish top-flight so far, starting five games in the process.
The left-footed striker is yet to score in the league for his boyhood club so far this season but has already caught the eye with a string of impressive displays.
Palace could benefit from Chalmers’ potential
As per the report, Logan Chalmers has been touted as one of the brightest young homegrown talents in Scottish football by Dundee United manager Micky Mellon. The 20-year-old is yet to justify those bold claims with goals but his talent and potential certainly can’t be called into question, as evident from his impressive display against St. Mirren in the previous game.
In fact, criticising Chalmers for his lack of goals in the top-flight this season would be unfair, considering that he made only 8 career appearances in the second-tier before being thrown into the mix at the highest level. Hence, it’s completely understandable that he needs more time to get to grips with the quality and intensity of the Scottish Premiership.
To put things into perspective, Crystal Palace have already bolstered their ranks with two hot top-quality young talents – Nathan Ferguson and Eberechi Eze – from the EFL Championship this summer. A deal for Logan Chalmers would represent a continuation of the same policy.
The Eagles, though, would be better off looking at Chalmers as a future first-team star rather than someone who is capable of making an immediate impact in the Premier League. The 20-year-old has only played a handful of top-flight games for Dundee United in Scotland and he definitely needs more exposure before evolving into a player capable of thriving in the highly-competitive atmosphere of the Premier League.
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Verdict
Logan Chalmers seems to be an exciting prospect with potential and Palace should try to arrange a loan deal for him, preferably in the lower divisions in England, if a move to Selhurst Park does materialise.
The Eagles already have a good working relationship with Dundee United from the purchase of Scottish youth international Scott Banks back in January. That should hand Roy Hodgson’s side a slight advantage as they look to beat off competition in the race to sign Chalmers.
