Russian international striker Aleksandr Sobolev admits Crystal Palace wanted to take him to the Premier League during his time at Krylia Sovetov, speaking to Championat.
A couple of years ago, Palace were reportedly willing to stump up £25 million for CSKA Moscow youngster Fyodor Chalov. It turns out that he was not the only Russian Premier League frontman on their radar either.
Sobolev shot to fame with 10 goals in 19 games for Krylia Sovetov in the 2019/20 season. Crystal Palace’s attempts to take him away from the Samara-based outfit soon hit the buffers, however, with the now-25-year-old Sobolev indicating that a lack of caps for the national team proved to be an insurmountable obstacle amid pesky work permit regulations.
“When I was in Samara, there was a real story with Crystal Palace,” he says. “(I had not played) enough matches for the national team. I knew they wanted me.”
Crystal Palace wanted to sign Aleksandr Sobolev before Moscow move
Spartak Moscow’s number seven has been in excellent form this season. In 19 games, he has nine goals and six assists. And Sobolev, who was reportedly on the radar of both Arsenal and Manchester United around the same time that Palace expressed an interest, still harbours hopes of a move to one of Europe’s major leagues, though England no longer holds much of an appeal in his mind (The Sun).
“There will be an offer from Europe. We will look. The dream to play in Europe remains; 100 per cent. I just understand that, now, it will be difficult to do,” Sobolev adds.
“Where do I want (to go)? Now, I have matured a little. I don’t really want to go to England anymore. Better to go to Italy or Germany.”
Crystal Palace moved into the top half of the table on Sunday afternoon thanks to a dramatic yet well-deserved 2-1 win at London rivals West Ham United; a win secured despite the lack of a recognised striker in Patrick Vieira’s XI.
Wilfried Zaha led the line and scored Palace’s opener at the London Stadium. That was his sixth goal in just 12 Premier League games so far this term.
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