Crystal Palace: Franca is a Lokonga upgrade

Franca can do what Lokonga couldn’t at Selhurst Park

Crystal Palace’s midfield is the subject of a major overhaul. Club servants James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic have announced their departures from Selhurst Park, while Cheick Doucoure is being eyed by Liverpool, who are on the verge of losing Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia.

Upon the expiration of his contract at Bournemouth, Jefferson Lerma was signed by the Eagles to kickstart the rebuild, but they’re still in need of more depth.

One name who is constantly linked with a move to the English capital is Matheus Franca, who has been tipped to perform better for Palace than Albert Sambi Lokonga did last season.

What’s the latest on Matheus Franca to Crystal Palace?

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, reporter Dean Jones was asked if Franca could be considered an upgrade on Lokonga.

He said: “I’d say he’s a step up on Lokonga. I think Lokonga’s found it difficult to assert himself in the Premier League so far. We don’t know, maybe Franca will too, but I think that having someone with a freshness into the league will certainly help as well, and I’d actually be quite confident with him being a success.”

This follows a report published by Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside column, which suggested that Palace are stepping up their pursuit of the 19-year-old by preparing to launch an opening bid.

The piece also details that Palace are ahead of Chelsea in the pecking order for Franca as the Blues are no longer monitoring the situation.

It is understood that Palace view the Brazilian as a possible replacement for Wilfried Zaha, and could cost in excess of £22m.

Would Matheus Franca be an upgrade on Sambi Lokonga?

After only making two Premier League starts in the first half of last season for Arsenal, Lokonga sealed a loan move to Palace in January in search of more regular game time.

It appeared the ideal move as the 23-year-old would get the opportunity to learn under the guidance of Gunners Invincible, Patrick Vieira. However, the move materialised as a big disappointment, as Palace failed to win any of the six Premier League games that Lokonga started.

Eventually, the Eagles’ form deteriorated to such a degree that Vieira was dismissed and replaced by Roy Hodgson. However, the veteran coach was uninspired by the Belgian as he was an unused substitute in eight of the final ten games.

Whilst operating from midfield in the Premier League, the former Anderlecht man has failed to impose any dominance, as shown by his disappointing rank within the lowest 29% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive carries, successful take-ons, tackles and blocks per 90.

The end of this underwhelming loan spell has opened the door for a more dynamic and effervescent option in Franca.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has hailed the youngster as “one of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil” and – as Jones phrased it earlier – his ‘freshness’ could be hugely beneficial to the Palace side.

This could come from influence in attacking proceedings, as since making his senior debut for Flamengo, he has notched 19 goals in 59 outings.

Fabio Matias, his former coach, is also among those to sing his praises, adding: “He has many important aspects to his game. In addition to technical and tactical ability, he has a very good understanding of the game. That makes him stand out because he interprets spaces well.”

These are traits that Lokonga struggled to display, as he averaged just 0.1 key passes and 0.1 dribbles per game for Palace – lower figures than the likes of Joel Ward, Marc Guehi and Nathaniel Clyne.

All things considered, Franca could yet possess the profile and potential to be a huge success in south London for Steve Parish.