Alexander Sorloth can’t stop scoring since leaving Premier League Crystal Palace for a loan spell at Turkish outfit Trabzonspor.
Alexander Sorloth has scored more goals in three months at Trabzonspor than he managed in a year-and-a-half at Crystal Palace.
And with the Eagles once again lacking that killer’s instinct in the final third, with just ten in ten Premier League games so far, the irony of that statement will not be lost on the Selhurst Park faithful.
Trabzonspor signed Sorloth on loan during the summer and, according to Sabah, they will have to sign him permanently for around £5.5 million once he plays 25 games for the Super Lig side.
But the report adds that the Turks are already aiming to strike a permanent deal in the January transfer window with the Norwegian enjoying the best start of any foreign striker in Trabzonspor’s history. He’s made one hell of an impact.
16 games into the season, Sorloth has eight goals to his name already. He’s even found the net in four successive Super Lig games.
So, with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Crystal Palace made a mistake including an obligation-to-buy clause in Sorloth’s contract.
Roy Hodgson’s side are sixth in the table after ten games, a remarkable achievement in itself but made even more impressive when you consider that Conor Wickham remains unavailable and Christian Benteke remains, well, Christian Benteke. Just imagine where they’d be if they had a striker with Sorloth’s form right now.
Sorloth might have found the net just once in 20 games for the Londoners but a man who joined in a shock £9 million deal in January 2018 (Mail) was never really given a fair crack of the whip.
He started none of his last 12 Premier League appearances for the club and stayed on the pitch for an average of just 14 minutes across a forgettable 2018/19 campaign. Those are testing circumstances for a striker new to English football.
In an ideal world, Palace would have the option to re-call Sorloth in January and give him the second chance he deserves. But his future, it seems, is out of their hands.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
