Why Crystal Palace should keep hold of Alexander Sorloth amidst interest

According to Evening Standard, Real Madrid are interested in signing Crystal Palace forward Alexander Sorloth, who currently plies his trade with Trabzonspor in Turkey.

Sorloth, 24, came through the youth ranks of Rosenborg in his hometown and played for clubs like FC Bodo/Glimt, Groningen and Midtjylland before joining the Eagles in 2018. In 26 games for the Danish outfit, he had a hand in 24 goals (15 goals and 9 assists) and he impressed that year.

His move to Selhurst Park did not bring the best out of him as he racked up just one goal and one assist in 20 games. He was sent on loan to Gent last season and was again on the move last summer to Turkey.

The Norwegian has been in fine form for Trabzonspor this season, finding the back of the back 24 times in 34 games while providing 6 assists. He has scored the same amount of goals which Palace have scored in the league this term and has improved.

Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson’s men have struggled recently and have fallen to the bottom half of the table. With just one win in their last 8 games, Palace are currently 13^th in the league standings.

One of the chief reasons for their inconsistency is the lack of goals. Jordan Ayew was brought in last summer to bolster their attack but he has scored just 6 goals in the league so far. He has also not been supported enough by Christian Benteke, whose only goal in the campaign came in the 1-3 loss to Everton earlier this month.

Cenk Tosun was roped in last month and the Turkish international has scored only 1 goal so far. He has not been able to produce his best after being left out on the bench for the majority of the season by the Toffees. Hence, it is clear that the manager should bring in some changes to the squad for the new campaign and Sorloth would be a perfect choice to lead their attack, given the rise in his form.

The 24-year-old struggled in his first season with Palace and now has regained his goalscoring touch. He would be a replacement for Tosun, who is only on loan with the Eagles.

The Norway international has been in exceptional form for his country too, scoring 6 goals in 22 games and his presence would be a boost. He can get them the much-needed goals in the league if he is able to reproduce the same form next season.

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Verdict

The Eagles are in dire need of a striker and they would do better with Sorloth instead of searching elsewhere. His red-hot form shows he is capable of leading the team’s attack. He is young, energetic and can be their player in the long run.

Therefore, Crystal Palace must avoid any temptation for the 24-year-old and must make the best use of him at least until his contract expires.