Crystal Palace should be kicking themselves after Southampton signed Kamaldeen Sulemana in a £22m deal on transfer deadline day.
What’s the story?
Well, the Saints decided to invest a significant sum of money in the Ghana international as they aim to lift themselves off the bottom of the Premier League.
While Crystal Palace focused on the signings of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Naouirou Ahamada, Southampton sealed a club-record £22m deal for Sulemana, in a move which should make those at Selhurst Park pretty jealous.
Why? Well, the south Londoners look set to lose Wilfried Zaha at the end of the season when his contract expires, with the Evening Standard claiming that Barcelona and Juventus are interested.
Therefore, it would have made sense for Crystal Palace to sign Sulemana, who is a very similar type of forward to the Ivory Coast international.
Like Zaha, the 20-year-old is a direct dribbler who can play on either side of the attack.
Sulemana is also a rapid winger like the Crystal Palace No.11 – as detailed by the BBC, the Southampton new boy was recorded running at 35.7kph (22.2mph) during the World Cup, the quickest of any player to feature in Qatar.
The Eagles surely could’ve struck a deal to sign the Ghanaian now before loaning him back to Rennes for the rest of the season, giving them a ready made replacement for Zaha when his contract expires in June.
Crystal Palace could still take Sulemana from Southampton
Interestingly, this debate could also be flipped as Southampton providing Sulemana with a period to settle in the Premier League before Crystal Palace pinch him this summer.
As previously mentioned, the Saints are bottom of the Premier League, and find themselves in real danger of dropping into the Championship.
If that does happen, then a player of Sulemana’s quality will be in high demand, and he may seek an immediate return to England’s top-flight.
In that respect, Sulemana could turn out to be Crystal Palace’s Zaha replacement after all – only time will tell for certain.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
