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News
Alexander Sorloth’s loan departure shows Crystal Palace made a £9 million mistake
When Alexander Sorloth signed with Crystal Palace last winter for a fee of £9 million, few expected the striker’s first year to end goalless in the Premier League.
The Norwegian forward completed a loan move to Belgian side Gent today, marking a failure of a first year at Selhurst Park and exposing Crystal Palace’s expensive transfer error.
Sorloth made 16 league appearances for the Eagles since joining in February 2018, but started only four of those matches.
The forward’s lack of opportunities in the first choice lineup is ultimately what doomed Sorloth in his opening year in SE25 — Sorloth’s lack of confidence was exacerbated by his rare opportunities to impress on the pitch.
The striker’s only goal came in a League Cup match against Swansea in August, contributing to his Palace strike rate of one goal in 19 appearances.
Sorloth’s form has done nothing to justify his expensive price tag, and with Palace desperately short of cash and searching for cheap deals in January, the £9 million spent on the Norwegian seems more profligate every day.
As a result of the outlay on the goal-shy Alexander Sorloth, Crystal Palace are forced to target cut-price forwards such as Oumar Niasse — far from proven Premier League goal-scorers who can lift the Eagles up the table.