Frank De Boer’s reign at Crystal Palace hasn’t commenced in a riveting manner for him as his side were thrashed 0-3 by newly promoted side, Huddersfield Town, last weekend at the Selhurst Park in their first league game of the season. To worsen the situation for the Eagles, their sensational attacker in the shape of Wilfried Zaha has been ruled out for a month with a knee injury which he suffered against the Terriers.
Last season, Crystal Palace were blunt for the major portion of the season and it took some mammoth effort from Sam Allardyce and his troops to get the side to the safe zone. The animosity in the English top division is certain to reach new heights this season and with Connor Wickham still sidelined due to his cruciate ligament rupture, it goes without saying that De Boer is now in dire need to bolster his attacking arsenal.
To avoid complacencies and disasters in the coming games and to, of course, bring more competition for a place in the starting line-up, it is perceived that the former Internazionale boss is plotting a deal to make RB Leipzig’s winger, Oliver Burke, sign on the dotted line before the transfer window shuts down. Burke emerged through the youth ranks of Mowbray Rangers and Nottingham Forest, before being promoted to the senior side of the latter. After a couple of season with the Reds, the Scottish international made an audacious move to the German Bundesliga.
However, despite moving to Leipzig for £13million last summer, he has struggled to carve a strong footing for himself and is keen make a return to England. In a situation where Crystal Palace are desperately vouching for an offensive player, their apparent interest to sign Burke makes complete sense. The 20-year-old winger thrives on pace and power and many times, he has been compared with Real Madrid’s superstar Gareth Bale owing to the tenacity he shows from the flanks.
Despite being a youngster, he is physically quite strong and dribbles past his opponents with sheer ruthlessness and brilliance. He maintains his balance and composure when he is with the ball and has, time and again, shown his compatibility with his movements when he is without the ball. Although his passing and decision-making abilities have been questionable at times, he should be able to brush himself as the factor of age is by his side.
