Transfer story
Crystal Palace have been rocked with the news of manager Sam Allardyce handing his resignation. Big Sam’s decision has taken the club and the supporters by surprise. But as they say, the show must go on with the club working hard to secure deals for players who they think can improve the quality of the squad next season.
One player who has been linked with the Eagles since the past year or so has been Everton’s James McCarthy with the interest for the midfielder resurfacing again in recent days.
McCarthy was injured for the majority of the recently concluded season and the Toffees are ready to offload the Republic of Ireland international. But manager Ronald Koeman has always been in support of keeping McCarthy, However, with money to spend, the club could sell the midfielder to target better players in midfield.
Everton are valuing him at around £20 million but might have to settle for something around £15 million in order to get rid of him in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Player stats
Since joining Everton in 2013, McCarthy has failed to land a starting berth consistently as first Roberto Martinez and now Ronald Koeman have suffered because of the player’s fitness. He has made just 12 appearances this season and scored a solitary goal in a 6-3 win over Bournemouth.
What he’ll offer to the club?
Palace have struggled with numbers in midfield this season with James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic being the only trusted pair for the Eagles. The duo have not been as effective as the club would have liked them to be which has prompted them to look for options elsewhere.
McCarthy has been known to be a great passer of the ball as his knack of winning the ball back in crucial areas on the pitch and starting a counter is exactly what Crystal Palace need in their side.
Worth the money?
Though McCarthy looks like the real deal, his fee will undoubtedly make Palace sweat. Everton don’t have any immediate need to sell their player as the Toffees are not expected to budge down easily on their asking price.
£20 million does not seem a correct assessment for an injury prone player as Crystal Palace should look for other options if they cannot get the price down for James McCarthy.
