Glasner will want to keep up the momentum next seasonGlasner will want to keep up the momentum next season
Glasner will want to keep up the momentum next season | Getty Images
Crystal Palace are said to be interested in a Championship midfielder with a big reputation.
Crystal Palace are said to be interested in a Championship midfielder with a big name. The Eagles have enjoyed a solid season this term, and Oliver Glasner will be eyeing another step forward next season, providing the club can limit how many of their big stars they lose amid regular links involving Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and others.
The former is the most likely to depart given his contract situation, but Palace have been excellent in their recruitment over recent years, regularly spotting top talents and snapping them up for affordable fees.
Palace are not afraid to sign players from second division teams, and the latest reports claim they are currently looking at the Championship, and at Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham in particular. The 19-year-old has been a huge part of play-off bound Sunderland’s success this season, and he has been a regular for the Black Cats for the last two seasons despite his youth, also becoming a Birmingham City first team regular before that.
There will be concerns about the amount of football he has played at such a young age, but Bellingham is already a very experienced player, and there is plenty of excitement surrounding his future, whether or not he reaches the heights of brother Jude.
A Premier League move is likely in the not too distant future, and according to journalist Ben Jacobs, Palace are interested. He told GiveMeSport: “There is Premier League interest in Jobe Bellingham. Crystal Palace have already tried once, and they remain an active suitor. And Brentford are interested in Jobe Bellingham too, but it's a little bit too early to tell whether or not he's going to leave this summer, simply because, after he signed the new deal at Sunderland, contracting him until 2028, Jobe Bellingham was very keen not to rush his development.
“And actually, Jude Bellingham, his brother, made that point to him. And what we saw in the progression of Jude Bellingham was a very slow and meticulous decision making process to make sure that he didn't move too big too soon, and that for Jude Bellingham paid off."
Bellingham on his development
Bellingham recently spoke to the Northern Echo about his development at Sunderland in an interview with the Northern Echo earlier this month. He said: “I’ve been given the chance by coaches and managers that thankfully I’ve got and have had here, and when I was younger at Birmingham. There’s been a lot of failure along the way, but exposure to those experiences has been massive.
“You get some success and sometimes you don’t, but you learn, and it’s important that you do learn and you do review these experiences. It’s great learning, and it really helps you develop. I think because of the way I am, I’ve used it to boost myself and try to keep going and get better and better. That’s where I think I’ve done quite well in improving from last season and the season before that, and hopefully onto next season as well.
“I want to keep on improving, and I think that’s the most important thing because you can have all the talent in the world, but it’s about, ‘Can you go again? Can you keep going and get better and better?’ That’s something that I pride myself on and something that I want to keep doing.”
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