He won’t want to admit it, of course, but if there is anyone at Selhurst Park who could probably see the positive side of Wilfried Zaha’s departure, it’s Malcolm Ebiowei.
Since arriving at Crystal Palace from Derby County last summer, the 19-year-old has played just 31 minutes of Premier League football. And Ebiowei’s hopes of securing a far more regular role in Patrick Vieira’s plans could depend, to some extent, on whether or not Zaha decides to leave his boyhood club when his contract expires in seven months’ time.
It is not hard to imagine Ebere Eze stepping into Zaha’s shoes on the left, after all, with Michael Olise drifting into a more central role. Thus, potentially opening the door for Ebiowei to come in on the right-hand side.
The Dutch-born teenager still has a long way to go before convincing Patrick Vieira that he has a role to play in Crystal Palace’s starting XI, however; his lack of opportunities since arriving in South London proof of how far he remains down the Palace pecking order.
Did Malcolm Ebiowei make a mistake leaving Rangers?
In addition to making just three substitute appearances in the Premier League, Ebiowei found opportunities hard to come by in the EFL Cup too. It was his missed penalty which saw the Eagles crash out against Newcastle United in November.
And, with Ebiowei likely to be let out on loan next month, The Sun say that two clubs in the bottom half of the Championship are set to go head-for-head for his signature; Swansea and Hull City.
“Things are going really well,” Hull boss Liam Rosenior tells the Yorkshire Post. “We’re really clear on the areas we need to strengthen and what we’re looking for. The top targets I have in each position look really good at the moment. And we’ll keep working on them.
“(Ebiowei) is one of a few people we’re looking at. It’s up to Crystal Palace as his parent club what they do with him. He’s in our thoughts as many people are at the moment, but there’s nothing concrete right now.”
A loan exit possible
Now, hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course. But, given Ebiowei’s current predicament, it’s tempting to wonder if the England U20 international may have been better off north of the border at Rangers. The grass is not always greener elsewhere.
Ebiowei spent just 18 months in Glasgow, a short-lived Ibrox stint sandwiching spells at Arsenal and Derby.
Flash forward to the present day, however, and Rangers now have a manager in Mick Beale who can point to a track record when it comes to getting the best out of talented, mercurial forwards. See Ilias Chair and Chris Willock at QPR.
Ebiowei not only looks perfectly-suited to Beale’s system – one which gives wide players the freedom to drift into central areas – his preferred role on the right also corresponds to one of the weaker areas of this Rangers squad. Fashion Sakala and Rabbi Matondo have pace in abundance, but lack technical quality. You certainly can’t say the same of Ebiowei; arguably a better fit for ‘Beale-ball’ than any of the right-wingers currently on Rangers’ books.
‘His attitude is incredible’
“I thought he was excellent all game, best player on the pitch,” former Derby boss Wayne Rooney said back in April following a 1-1 draw with Coventry City; highlighting Ebiowei’s dazzling footwork and his effectiveness in one-v-one situations.
“It was one of the best performances I have seen from a young player, consistently for 90 minutes, in a long time.
“His attitude is incredible. He wants to learn and he is an exciting young player. He has got an enormous amount of ability; he’s brave, he will take the ball, he is not afraid to take players on. So he has got a really bright future.”
Where that future lies, be it at Crystal Palace or elsewhere, only time will tell.
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