Back in July, Crystal Palace signed Cheick Doucoure from RC Lens in a £21m deal, beating Nottingham Forest to his signature.
Steve Cooper attempted to hijack the Mali international’s move to Selhurst Park, although Patrick Vieira and the south Londoners had already done too much groundwork on the transfer.
So far this season, Doucoure has performed exceptionally well, making his £21m price tag look like a bargain for the Eagles – media outlets in France seem to agree.
What’s the story?
Well, French news outlet Lensois have written a story about the 22-year-old returning to RC Lens to reunite with his old teammates, after the Premier League clash between Crystal Palace and Brighton was postponed.
Doucoure was given permission to visit his old stomping ground, where teammates were visibly delighted to see him once again.
Lensois also wrote that the Malian has “established himself” in midfield at Selhurst Park with a string of “good individual performances” for Crystal Palace.
The French outlet also reiterate the fact that Doucoure was named Man of the Match in the 1-1 draw against Brentford.
Nottingham Forest surely jealous of Crystal Palace
Over the summer, Nottingham Forest signed a number of new players – 22 to be exact.
Whilst picking up some fantastic footballers, including Morgan Gibbs-White and Jesse Lingard, Cooper will surely be disappointed to miss out on Doucoure. We feel Nottingham Forest may live to regret losing out to Crystal Palace.
At the age of just 22, the Crystal Palace No.28 has shown a level of composure in midfield that is almost hard to believe, given his youthfulness as well as the fact he has only just arrived in a new country.
Playing in a No.6 role ahead of back four, Doucoure knows that any loss of possession is likely to result in a goal being conceded at Premier League level, but he has coped with the pressure incredibly well.
With Vieira tutoring him – a man who is one of the midfield greats – the sky is the limit for Doucoure.
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