Crystal Palace will not be taking Junior Sambia to the Premier League with the free-agent defender set to line up alongside Franck Ribery at Serie A outfit Salernitana instead, via Il Mattino.
Now, Chris Richards can play at right-back. Whether he should, however, is certainly up for debate.
The Bayern Munich defender, who is expected to join Sam Johnstone and Cheick Doucoure at Selhurst Park with a deal agreed, is more comfortable playing as a centre-half than wide on the flank.
As such, the right-back spot remains a cause for concern among Palace supporters with their Premier League opener at home to Arsenal now just a couple of weeks away.
Crystal Palace must solve right-back problem
Le10 Sport claimed earlier in the summer that The Eagles were looking into a deal that would see 25-year-old Frenchman Sambia join on a free-transfer. He left Ligue 1 side Montpellier when his contract expired in May.
But Sambia will now be sharing a dressing room with Franck Ribery rather than Wilfried Zaha.
“I am very happy to be here and to start this new challenge,” says Sambia.
The 25-year-old signs a four-year deal with a Salernitana side who finished just above the drop zone last season.
“I love to push forward and attack,” Sambia adds. “I’m ready to give everything and make myself available to the team. Serie A is new to me. I’m happy to be in Italy and I hope to repay the trust of the club.
“The goal is to reach as high as possible (in the table) and play a good season. I am honoured to wear this shirt and I hope to win as many matches as possible.”
As things stand, USA international Richards looks a likely candidate to start in that problematic right-back spot when Arsenal come to town on August 6th.
The other options at Patrick Vieira’s disposal – Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne – are not exactly well-suited to the Crystal Palace boss’s aggressive, front-foot approach.
Palace’s reportedly like Neco Williams but he has joined Nottingham Forest in a £17 million deal. Academy graduate Aaron Wan-Bissaka has also been mentioned, but things appear to have gone quiet in recent weeks.
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