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Patrick Van Aanholt’s form means Crystal Palace must not spend big on Junior Firpo
Crystal Palace are one of a number of Premier League clubs reportedly keeping tabs on Real Betis left-back Junior Firpo,
The claims that Roy Hodgson has his eye on the progress of the 22-year-old, who recently earned his first cap for Spain’s Under-21 side and is La Liga’s highest scoring defender in 2018.
The bad news for Hodgson is that big-hitters Arsenal and Manchester City are also in the hunt for Firpo, along with fellow relegation battlers Newcastle United.
Firpo signed a new Betis deal in August which contains a release clause of £45m and even if Palace were able to negotiate a deal for less, he would still be a big money signing.
As exciting as Firpo could be, Hodgson is actually well-stocked for left-backs given the strong form of Patrick van Aanholt, the injury return of Pape Souare and the fact Martin Kelly and Jeffrey Schlupp can both fill in there.
The presence of two of the top six in the race to sign Firpo is only likely to push the price up and Hodgson would be better off spending that money on his frontline.
Firpo may have caught Hodgson’s eye, but the initial figures being discussed mean that looking elsewhere would be a better use of Palace’s time and money.