As the new Premier League season approaches, one Crystal Palace star could be heading out of south London and back to the sunnier climbs of Madrid, a city he left in 2018 to come to the English capital.

oy Hodgson, having already lost Wilfried Zaha to Galatasaray, might not be too enamoured by losing more of his stars on the eve of the new campaign, but is realistic enough to know that all the while the transfer window remains open, deals can be done. That goes both ways too of course.

According to AS, Getafe goalkeeper, David Soria, is of interest to the Eagles, though he also remains on Real Madrid’s radar and both Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are credited with an interest.

Crystal Palace’s Spanish goalkeeper Vicente GuaitaThe south Londoners may be in pole position to do a deal if current custodian, Vicente Guaita, can be persuaded to return to Getafe.

Los Blancos appear to be sticking with Andriy Lunin as their reserve goalkeeper for now, though there was a period in the current pre-season where, AS note, it was thought a change to the back-up for Thibaut Courtois may be necessary.

Crystal Palace: Eddie Nketiah emphatically trumps Mateta

This signing would hugely benefit Palace and the player himself

Between 12th November 2022 and 19th March 2023, Crystal Palace played 15 Premier League games.

This was their most wretched period of the season, as they lost nine times, didn’t score in as many games, and only managed seven goals.

It was a startling condemnation of their misfiring attack that eventually culminated in the sacking of Patrick Vieira.

Luckily, wily veteran Roy Hodgson was reinstated as manager and rediscovered the potent verve of the frontline as the Eagles eventually finished 11th.

However, much of this rejuvenation is owed to the form of Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, and Michael Olise. But, the Ivorian has moved to Galatasaray upon the expiration of his contract, whilst Olise is attracting interest from the Premier League heavyweights.

It leaves Palace in a precarious position, which they must rectify with the addition of some much-needed attacking reinforcements.

One man linked to Selhurst Park is Eddie Nketiah.

What’s the latest on Eddie Nketiah to Crystal Palace?

According to TheEaglesBeak (via football.london), the Eagles are in the running to sign Nkeitah as Hodgson seeks to bolster his forward options this summer.

But, the report states that the move for the Arsenal academy graduate will rely upon the sale of Jean Phillipe-Mateta.

Nketiah is valued at €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory and the south Londoners are set to reignite their interest in the 24-year-old, who they attempted to sign last year.

This time, Palace have a much more pressing need to assess and should try even harder to bring Nkeitah to Selhurst Park.

Would Eddie Nketiah be a good signing for Crystal Palace?

Since making his Arsenal debut in 2017, the 5 foot 11 livewire has struggled to ever forge any consistent runs in the first-team. His most notable breakthrough occurred in the most recent campaign when a long-term injury to Gabriel Jesus meant he was promoted within the squad.

The Englishman, who was described as “brilliant” by Gary Neville, grabbed this opportunity admirably, and in 11 Premier League games, he registered six involvements, including a double in pulsating victory over Manchester United.

However, the signing of Leandro Trossard in the January window and the eventual return of Jesus meant that Nketiah found reinstated as just a squad player. He finished the season with just nine top-flight starts, whilst being substituted on a mammoth 21 times.

Despite signing a new long-term contract last summer, worth a reported £100k-per-week, it seems to have done nothing to boost his chances of regular football at the Emirates. Moreover, the recent addition of Kai Havertz to the ranks is another blow.

So, if Nketiah transferred to the south of the capital, he can become Palace’s new talisman, and he comfortably surpasses Mateta in numerous attacking metrics.

This includes non-penalty xG per 90 (0.64 vs 0.40), shots per 90 (3.53 vs 3.16), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.18 vs 0.94), progressive passes per 90 (1.4 vs 0.7), progressive carries per 90 (2.97 vs 1.05), and successful take-ons per 90 (1.12 vs 0.35), per FBref.

This move could reignite Nketiah’s stuttering career and means that Palace could bolster their weak attacking options.