Ahead of the September 1st deadline, Crystal Palace made a £27m bid for Conor Gallagher, who has seemingly replaced Ross Barkley at Chelsea.
The 28-year-old saw his contract terminated by the Blues as Gallagher returned from a hugely successful campaign on loan at Selhurst Park last term, having made just six Premier League appearances under Thomas Tuchel last season.
Unfortunately, Crystal Palace failed to see any success with that £27m bid, which should force Patrick Vieira and Dougie Freedman – Director of Football at Crystal Palace – into making contact with Barkley.
What’s the story?
Well – in our view at least – Barkley wouldn’t be a bad option until January.
The England international has stagnated hugely at Stamford Bridge since making a £15m move from Everton in 2018, and failed to prove himself on loan at Aston Villa in the 2020/21 season.
Now that his contract has been terminated, there are clearly many question marks surrounding Barkley’s motivation and ability to apply himself at this level anymore.
Therefore, we believe Crystal Palace should offer him a pay-as-you-play contract to counteract that potential issue with his motivation, in order to keep him hungry and performing.
As we all know, there is a hugely talented footballer in there somewhere – you don’t win 33 caps for England and make 232 Premier League appearances without some ability.
Ross Barkley could fill hole for Crystal Palace
Despite the signing of Cheick Doucoure, Vieira needed more midfield reinforcements.
The south Londoners lost Gallagher and also allowed Cheikhou Kouyate to depart upon the expiry of his contract, so their midfield depth is actually thinner than it was last season.
With fixtures coming thick and fast due to the World Cup in November, Crystal Palace will find themselves relying on the likes of Luka Milivojevic – who is struggling under Vieira – unless they explore the free agent market.
Keep an eye on developments at Selhurst Park, in case the Eagles decide to offer somebody a contract.
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