Crystal Palace's Daniel Muñozplaceholder image
Crystal Palace's Daniel Muñoz | Getty Images
Crystal Palace have been linked with a player who could replace Daniel Muñoz this summer - but is this a transfer rumour that makes sense?
Crystal Palace’s season descended into chaos after Oliver Glasner’s announcement that he would leave at the end of the season, and the German’s eventual successor will likely take charge of a depleted squad. Marc Guéhi has gone, it’s hard to imagine that Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton won’t follow, and several sides also seem interest in wing-back Daniel Muñoz.
Palace have grown despite the sales of star players before, of course. Losing Michael Olise didn’t slow them down, and the sale of Eberechi Eze didn’t seem to have created too many problems before the wheels began to fall off over the winter. Losing the likes of Mateta, Wharton and Muñoz may not prevent continued progress if the club makes the right decisions in the transfer market.
New stories suggest that the work of identifying potential replacements is well underway – with a report from Sport Witness claiming that Palace could have a potential replacement for Muñoz lined up already: KAA Genk’s Zakaria El Ouahdi.
Why Crystal Palace could sign Zakaria El Ouahdi this summer
Crystal Palace were repeatedly linked with Morocco international El Ouahdi over the January transfer window, and while a deal never materialised it appears that there is every chance that the 24-year-old remains firmly on the club’s radar – and it’s not too difficult to see why.
Like Muñoz before him, El Ouahdi has been deeply impressive in Belgium, especially going forward. An attacking wing-back who gets deep into opposition territory on a regular basis, he has already scored eight goals this season, as well as providing three assists.
A sharp dribbler with impressive strength and strong technique, El Ouahdi excels on the counter-attack and is excellent at getting the ball downfield and into dangerous areas quickly, and while his final delivery isn’t quite as strong as Muñoz’s, his ability to take defenders on and beat them with regularity gives him another dimension when running at the opposing full-back.
Like many extremely aggressive wing-backs, he does come with some defensive deficiencies, and his judgement in the tackle can be questionable, as can his positioning – he’s an attacking asset first and foremost, although he also uses his body strength well in one-on-one scenarios and isn’t easily beaten in tight spaces.
In short, he’d suit a side which plays with a back three and asks its wing-backs to push up to support the attack – a side just like Crystal Palace. With Glanser on his way out, there is no guarantee that they will continue to operate with the same system, but the squad is built around a 3-4-3 formation and El Ouahdi would suit any managerial candidate looking for continuity.
He is, perhaps, unproven at the very highest level – he only has one cap for his country and wasn’t a part of Morocco’s Africa Cup of Nations squad – but he wouldn’t be the first player to translate success in Belgium to success in the Premier League, and he has also been very strong during Genk’s Europa League campaign, recently scoring two goals in the first leg to send his side through the first knockout round against Dinamo Zagreb. But will Palace make a move, and will they face any competition if they do?
Everton & PSV set to compete for El Ouahdi’s signature
According to Sport Witness’ report, Everton are likely to join Crystal Palace at the “front of the queue” for El Ouahdi, with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven keen too – although the report suggests that the Moroccan has his sights set firmly on a move to England.
Everton are a side who will need a new right-back regardless of any players leaving this summer, although signing El Ouahdi would represent an intriguingly aggressive move for a relatively conservative side who typically play with a back four. Perhaps their interest indicates a desire to move to a more attacking style of football – or perhaps they will be more likely to look elsewhere when it comes to the crunch.
Certainly it was Palace who were more heavily linked with a bid over the winter. Apparently El Ouahdi could be available for as little as €15m (£13m) in the summer, partly because his contract will be entering its last two years, giving Genk relatively little leeway to demand top dollar. They are a selling club who know that they probably won’t be able to get more for the player later should they try to hold on.
Whether Palace view El Ouahdi as a player who could immediately come into the starting line-up should Muñoz leave or as a rotational option is also unclear. If it’s the former, then a bid could depend heavily on whether the Colombian does become the subject of offers, as widespread rumours have suggested. There is a chance that Palace stay out of the market if Muñoz stays put – but the fact that they appeared keen to buy him in January suggests that they will indeed make a move.
It’s too early to know whether Palace and Genk will be able to reach an agreement that both parties are content with, and indeed whether other sides like Everton do indeed make a move of their own – and as such, it’s hard to say how likely it is that El Ouahdi moves to Selhurst Park come the summer. But it’s certainly a move which looks both plausible and logical as it stands.
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