Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah one of four names on Patrick Vieira’s list of Crystal Palace targets
Patrick Vieira is looking to bolster his first-team ranks this summer with Arsenal starlet Eddie Nketiah and PSV star Ibrahim Sangare on his watchlist.
The Sun reports that Vieira is looking to make four signings this summer to add more depth to his squad. And Nketiah and Sangare are rumoured to be the two key signings the Eagles boss would like to make.
Nketiah is out of contract this summer and has impressed with the Gunners in recent weeks. Sangare on the other hand, would be an ideal replacement for outbound Conor Gallagher.
Vieira is thought to be an admirer of Nketiah, while Palace have also failed to sign him twice in the past. With the striker out-of-contract this summer, however, the Eagles are confident of securing a deal.
The Sun also reports that Palace will face competition for the 22-year old from German sides.
Gallagher has had a breakthrough season under Vieira at Palace this season and will be sorely missed when he returns to Chelsea. Sangare fulfils a similar role to the one Gallagher currently plays and is the engine of Rodger Schmidt’s PSV side.
Nketiah has been in and around the Arsenal team since his debut for the club in 2018. The striker has been somewhat out of favour with Arteta this season, only gaining eight starts in all competitions.
Since Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang’s January departure, the 22-year-old has been the understudy to Alexandre Lacazette – although he has started the last few games.
Throughout the campaign, Nketiah has scored seven goals in comparison to Palace’s starting striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta who has scored six.
According to Who Scored, Nketiah also has a higher average rating over the course of the season averaging a 6.71 in comparison to Mateta’s whose is only 6.65.
Comparing Sangare and Chekhiou Kouyate
Sangare plays simple, frequent passes and encourages the ball to go up the pitch when he plays. Although he is a defensive-minded midfielder, he contributes regularly to his team’s attacks.
Kouyate has been the Eagles’ holding midfielder for the majority of the 21/22 season. When comparing both Sangare’s and Kouyate’s stats the difference is eye-opening.
According to Who Scored, Sangare has completed 3.1 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game. Whereas Kouyate has only mustered 2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions. Sangare’s average rating over the course of the season (7.39) is also much higher than Kouyate’s (6.75).
The Ivory Coast international has also been touted as the ‘next Yaya Toure’ throughout media and he still has age on his side as he is only 24.
Why Viera should sign Nketiah and Sangare
The rumoured price of £30million would be a steal for a player of Sangare’s quality. The signing would show real intent of Palace’s aims for the upcoming season.
The stability and stamina the 24-year-old has would drastically improve Vieira’s team and help fill the gap that will be left by Gallagher.
The signing of Nketiah would also be beneficial for Palace’s team as he will be able to provide further depth to bolster their attack.
The signing of the striker would also take a load off of Wilfried Zaha’s back as Odsonne Edouard would be allowed to fulfil Zaha’s role when he’s unavailable – or has moved on to pastures new.
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