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Is Leicester City title-winner Jeffrey Schlupp set to be Sam Allardyce’s first signing at Crystal Palace?
Crystal Palace look to have beaten off competition from Premier League rivals for Leicester City’s Jeffrey Schlupp as the winger looks set to have a medical today, .
After Leicester reportedly rejected a £9 million bid from Palace for the Ghana international earlier in the week, the current Premier League champions have now given Schlupp permission to go to Selhurst Park for a medical ahead of a move that will rise to a suspected £12 million.
The two clubs are working together to try and get Schlupp registered and available in time for Crystal Palace’s trip to West Ham tomorrow afternoon, but it is believed that it will be tight.
Speaking earlier this week about the 24-year-olds’ potential exit, Claudio Ranieri said:
“I spoke with him, he spoke with the club. Of course, he is not happy. He is a fantastic man, a fantastic player, and I said if he wants to go, he can go. But also after this is the money. It has to be right for the club. If the right money arrives then he can go. He has he told us he wants to go and that is normal”
Schlupp made 24 appearances for Ranieri’s side during their remarkable Premier League title-winning campaign last year, but has only played four times for a struggling Leicester so far this season.
What will Schlupp bring to Sam Allardyce’s side?
Jeffrey Schlupp is a rare-breed of loyalty nowadays, starting his Leicester career back in 2010 when the Foxes were in the Championship, gaining promotion after a few years under the management of Nigel Pearson.
Since then the 24-year-old winger has gone from strength to strength, being named as Leicester’s Young Player of the Year for the second consecutive year after playing a crucial role in their title triumph last season – for the most part the Ghanaian went under the radar with the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez grabbing the headlines, but without him acting as a true team player then Leicester would have had a large void in their side.
It’s unfortunate that, since the arrival of Islam Slimani over the summer, Schlupp has been pushed out of the Leicester first-team; at 24 he’s still got the best years of his career ahead of him arguably, and despite his love for the Foxes it’s understandable that he wants to find regular football.
Leicester’s loss is most certainly Palace’s gain however, with Schlupp only behind Robert Huth and Wes Morgan in terms of average duels won in the Leicester side last seaon – a fairly astonishing statistic coming from a winger that only plays at left-back when needed.
Schlupp’s breakthrough season can be summed up perfectly by the fact that over the course of his 24 Premier League appearances last campaign, he didn’t make a single defensive error, making 32 clearances and 31 interceptions during the same period.
It’s not yet clear where Allardyce will place Schlupp in the Crystal Palace formation, particularly with rumours increasing that Patrice Evra is on his way to Selhurst Park, but one thing that is certain is that he will be dependable wherever he plays.
The Ghanaian is set to become Allardyce’s first signing as new manager of Crystal Palace, with ex-Manchester United left-back Evra reportedly set to follow suit in the next few days.
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