According to The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan, while Southampton and Watford are also keen.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the 19-year-old is a fresh face in football as he is currently enjoying his maiden campaign in Strasbourg’s first-team, and has also become a mainstay in the Ligue 1 side’s starting XI.
Simakan has made 19 appearances in all competitions for the French side this season, with 17 of those coming as starts – four of those starts have come in the Europa League.
Aarons reveals that the youngster is valued at €25m (£21.3m), which seems quite high for someone who hadn’t made a senior appearance before this season.
Nevertheless, the teenager wins 2.5 aerials duels per game in Ligue 1, while also making 2.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions.
Additionally, Simakan also wins 2.3 fouls per game in France’s top-flight – Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew are the only Palace players who win more per 90 minutes.
Would help Roy Hodgson out in two areas
Despite the fact that he’s only 19 years of age, Simakan is a versatile figure who has already made a number of appearances in different positions across the back four this season.
Strasbourg’s No.2 has made seven appearances at centre-back under Thierry Laurey this term, while also appearing at right-back on four occasions, showcasing his impressive versatility.
This would be particularly valuable for Hodgson as he currently only has one natural right-back at his disposal in Joel Ward, a player who is out injured with Martin Kelly filling in for him.
How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…
Furthermore, while Palace are well-stocked at centre-back with James Tomkins, Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann present in the squad, Sakho and Dann are currently injured while Cahill has only just returned to training – the quartet’s combined age also works out at 125, so perhaps a younger addition wouldn’t go amiss to help Hodgson out even more.
In other news, Crystal Palace are still in a good position to land this target despite a Premier League side’s enquiry…
