According to The Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are on the brink of finalising a move for Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke and, while the honchos at Selhurst Park will be hoping his biggest impact will be to get right amongst the goals, the 21-year-old could be key in determining whether Wilfried Zaha remains at the club. ON THE CHALKBOARD The Daily Mail has reported that striker Solanke has completed a medical with the Croydon outfit and, as he now looks set to become a Palace player as soon as the window opens, fans are surely ecstatic that the club have immediately moved to bring in a new hitman – none of their orthodox striking options have netted in the league this season. In the absence of a conventional centre-forward, Roy Hodgson has opted for a partnership of Andros Townsend and Zaha in a classic 4-4-2, with both natural wingers given license to drift out wide and create for runners into the box – except there are no runners into the box as there is no striker. With loanee Jordan Ayew flopping spectacularly; Alexander Sorloth looking sub-standard; Christian Benteke out with a knee injury and Connor Wickham only just returning to fitness, it is surely a massive relief to have a fresh face up front – however, what Hodgson does now they’ve secured Solanke could be enormous for Zaha’s future. NOT A STRIKER Despite being perennially linked with a move away, the Ivorian has stuck with the Eagles through thick and thin and has become their talisman since returning in 2015 after a dismal time at Manchester United – before a 1-0 win over Leicester earlier this month, Palace had lost their last 12 without him. However, when deployed down the middle, the 26-year-old is wasted as he is rarely given an opportunity to run at his man – he is one of the best at doing so in the league – and has thus not scored in his last 15 appearances. With the signing of Solanke, one assumes that either he or Townsend will return to their comfort zone on the wing but, should the latter be shifted back out wide instead, Zaha’s frustration will surely continue and it could be this which eventually pushes him out the door – a disaster for the club, who have fought tirelessly to keep him on the books. #ConnorWickham #CrystalPalace #AlexanderSorloth
