Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing RB Leipzig forward Ademola Lookman this summer.
New Palace boss Patrick Vieira, who has replaced Roy Hodgson, wants to continue strengthening his squad. The Frenchman has been given the funds to spend in the transfer market and he has so far bolstered his defensive options by adding centre-backs Marc Guehi and Joachim Anderson.
After completing the loan signing of midfielder Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, his focus may shift towards reinforcing the attack.
According to The Sun, Crystal Palace want to bring in Ademola Lookman on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig. Lookman, who also has admirers in Burnley and Watford, spent the last season at Fulham. He made 34 appearances, scoring four goals and registering as many assists, but couldn’t help keep the Cottagers afloat in the Premier League.
However, it appears the English winger, who still has three years left on his contract with RB Leipzig, did grab Crystal Palace’s attention to show them that he deserves another shot to prove his credentials in the English top-flight.
Ademola Lookman: A good attacking option for Crystal Palace?
Ademola Lookman was considered a bright young English prospect after he broke through the Charlton Athletic academy back in 2015. A move to Everton materialised in January 2017 and bigger things were expected from him. However, his career hasn’t hit the heights as expected by many, with the 23-year-old spending the last three seasons at three different clubs.
The former England under-21 international is now firmly on the radar of Crystal Palace, whose rebuilding phase has started under the management of Patrick Vieira. The Frenchman is keen on changing the dynamics of his team, having tried trimming the average age of his squad by allowing the likes of Gary Cahill, Andros Townsend, Patrick van Aanholt and many more to leave after their contracts ran expired.
Palace have been heavily reliant on the qualities of Wilfried Zaha over the last few years. Zaha enjoyed the best goal-scoring season of his career last term with 11 goals. The Ivory Coast international’s burden of scoring and creating goals was shared by Eberechi Eze to some extent, but with the creative midfielder suffering a serious Achilles injury in training in May that will keep him sidelined for the start of the season, Vieira must look to add more spark to his attack.
In that regard, Ademola Lookman would be a smart fit for the south London outfit. Blessed with great pace, energy and ability to stretch defences, Lookman could potentially combine well with the likes of Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke and cause problems to Palace’s opposition.
The former Everton man’s biggest asset is his pace as he is capable of carrying the ball for long distances, especially in counter-attacking situations. He can also create opportunities for his teammates, as demonstrated by his four assists in an average Fulham side last term.
For the Eagles to improve next season, they should be looking to add more goals and a player of Lookman’s qualities could help to solve that conundrum.
