According to The Sun, Crystal Palace have made a bid of £6.5 million for the services of Everton striker Oumar Niasse.
The Senegalese international has appeared out of favour under Marco Silva this season, featuring in only 58 minutes of league action.
It is has been claimed that Palace have now made Niasse their top priority after failing to sign Dominic Solanke this January. But is it really a smart move by the Eagles?
Oumar Niasse: A good choice by Hodgson?
Crystal Palace’s attacking deficiencies have been well documented this season as Roy Hodgson’s men have struggled with frequent injuries to their star strikers including Christian Benteke, who has played only four matches this season.
As a result, the Eagles have been forced to play Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha up front and although they have done well for the most part, Palace certainly lag behind when it comes to providing a consistent threat to the opposition defence.
Therefore, the addition of a new striker is imperative for the Eagles and Niasse, in that regard, is an interesting option.
The 28-year-old, initially joining Everton back in 2016, has had a mixed time with the Toffees. However, a promising set of displays last season saw the Senegalese net as many as eight goals in just 22 Premier League appearances, which is indicative of his lethal scoring prowess.
As far as his gameplay is concerned, Niasse is similar to Benteke, who likes to use his physical attributes to trouble defenders. Indeed, he can play on the shoulders of the last defender and can be easily utilised as a target-man, which is ideally suited to Hodgson’s style of play at Crystal Palace.
On the flip side, however, Niasse lacks the technical quality while his lack of control over the ball has been one of the key reasons as to why Silva hasn’t used him this season. This could turn out to be a huge flaw, especially while linking up with the likes of Zaha and Townsend, both of who are technically gifted.
Having said that, Palace are not necessarily known for their tactical astuteness and considering Hodgson’s one-dimensional tactics, Niasse can be crafted into an excellent target-man if he can only improve his heading ability while he can also provide cover for the likes of Benteke and Connor Wickham.