Eberechi Eze is set to sign a £50,000-a-week contract at Crystal Palace after Roy Hodgson’s side agreed an initial £14 million deal with Queens Park Rangers, according to the Sun (26 August, page 50).
The Eagles went into the transfer market with two main aims.
The first? To reinforce an attack that scored just 31 goals in 38 Premier League games last season; the lowest in the division apart from bottom-of-the-table Norwich City.
The second? To reduce the average age of the second-oldest squad in the top flight.
And with Eze on his way to Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace can put an almighty tick in both boxes.
At just 22, the London-born play-maker will add an injection of youthful exuberance and defence-splitting creativity into the heart of Hodgson’s rather workmanlike midfield.
With eight assists and 14 largely spectacular goals for QPR in 2019/20, Eze’s eye-catching displays caught the eye of West Brom, West Ham, Fulham and a Leeds side who have been chasing him since a superb display at Elland Road back in November.
But Palace was always Eze’s first choice, allowing him the chance to stay in London while seemingly providing the guarantee of game-time in the Premier League.
A £14 million deal has been agreed, one that will rise to £19.5 million (Mail), with Eze set to put pen to paper on a £50,000-a-week contract.
“With young players, it’s all about getting that consistency. I saw him against Hull (a 3-2 QPR win last season) and he was a joke, he was go good… his balance, his strength, he was unplayable,” former West Ham and England star Trevor Sinclair told talkSPORT (21 August, 9:00am).
“If he can get that sort of performance more consistently, he’s got everything to go to the top.”
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