As Crystal Palace fans watch the likes of Jordan Ayew start on a weekly basis, it must be incredibly frustrating to see what has happened at Leicester City.
What’s the story?
Well, the south Londoners could certainly do with a new winger at Selhurst Park – especially as Wilfried Zaha’s contract is expiring at the end of the season.
An ideal option became available when exciting Brazilian winger Tete saw his loan spell at Lyon end in January, with Crystal Palace seemingly in a strong position to sign him given their ties to the French side.
The Eagles are owned by John Textor – who also owns Lyon – so it felt as if a deal could be quite straightforward to organise, despite the fact the 22-year-old technically belongs to Shakhtar Donetsk until December.
Presumably, Textor – having spent six months working above the Brazilian – could have put a good word in about Crystal Palace when it became apparent that Leicester was a potential destination.
However, Tete eventually ended up at the King Power Stadium, and proceeded to put in a dazzling display on his Premier League debut against Aston Villa as the Foxes won 4-2 at Villa Park.
The South American scored on the stroke of half time to put Leicester 3-2 ahead, and earned praise from Gary Lineker, who described him as being “head and shoulders” above everybody else on the pitch.
When you consider the fact that stars such as Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and others were also playing, the BBC Match of the Day host’s statement speaks volumes.
Crystal Palace must look at Leicester City
The south Londoners have often prided themselves on having dynamic wingers such as Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, but it feels as if they are straying away from that.
As aforesaid, Ayew is a frustrating figure to watch on the flanks, whereas Leicester can boast impressive wide options with electric speed such as Barnes and Tete with Maddison in the centre.
Of course, Crystal Palace have gems such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, although it feels as if they are more effective centrally given their lack of explosive raw pace, which Bolasie possessed in abundance.
Patrick Vieira’s options in that area will become even thinner if Zaha does not sign a new contract, so we feel the emphasis in the summer should be on recruiting a couple of new wingers, as well as a right-back.
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