Last night, Crystal Palace and Southampton played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the Premier League, with goals from Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew.
There was also a special guest in attendance, who could soon become a more familiar face around Selhurst Park – Killian Phillips.
What’s the story?
Well, as tweeted by The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam, the Drogheda United midfielder was in attendance at Selhurst Park last night.
Crystal Palace are said to have been looking at the 19-year-old with a view to signing him from the League of Ireland Premier Division outfit in January.
Woosnam claims that Phillips played in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Crystal Palace’s Under-23 side against Havant and Waterlooville earlier on Wednesday.
Who is Killian Phillips and what could he bring to Crystal Palace?
Well, the Irishman would presumably join up with the Under-23 side if he arrived next month, but he still has plenty in his locker to impress Paddy McCarthy and Vieira.
On Drogheda United’s official website, Phillips is described as a versatile midfielder, who can also slot in at centre-back.
That will surely interest Vieira, who likes his centre-backs to be comfortable on the ball, almost as if they were midfielders playing at the back.
Should he arrive in the Under-23 setup and show composure in possession and an eye for a pass, he could well be drafted into the first-team quite quickly.
The south Londoners have only recently unveiled their new £20m state-of-the-art academy, and it’s good to see they’re utilising it by scouting talents like Phillips.
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