Premier League outfit Crystal Palace want Daniil Fomin but the Russia international should only consider joining a continental giant, former Dynamo Moscow coach Sergei Silkin tells RB Sport.
It’s easy to forget, given all the praise that has come their way this season, that Crystal Palace are only 13th in the table.
Level on points with a Newcastle United side who have spent much of this season glancing nervously over their shoulder at the relegation zone, and just four ahead of a Leeds team who looked doomed a couple of weeks ago.
That is not to say Palace are undeserving of such praise, of course.
Patrick Vieira will rightly be part of the conversation when the Manager of the Year shortlist is drawn up. He has, after all, transformed The Eagles into one of the Premier League’s most forward-thinking sides despite inheriting a brand-new squad shorn of so many of their most battle-scarred footsoldiers.
Will Daniil Fomin replace Gallagher at Palace?
“I can confirm the interest of Crystal Palace,” he said a couple of weeks ago.
But can Fomin, one of the most influential players in Russian football, afford to aim a little higher than a club in the bottom half of the Premier League?
“Fomin is a good footballer who plays great for Dynamo,” says Silkin.
“But who is waiting for him in Europe? I do not think that he is guaranteed a place at any of the teams there. In the current situation, if I were the player, I would not go anywhere.
“If you go to Europe, then only (join) the clubs who are at the top of the table. It makes no sense to go to teams that are somewhere below. For now, Europe is not worth thinking about.”
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Fomin has 11 goals in 27 games this season from central midfield. His penchant for making perfectly-timed bursts into the penalty area could make him a readymade replacement for Conor Gallagher at Palace.
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