Earlier this month, Eddie Howe made it abundantly clear that he wanted at least six midfield options to choose from this season.
With our pre-season games seeing the likes of Lewis Hall, Matt Targett and Harrison Ashby each deputising. it became obvious that Howe indeed needed a natural midfielder to bolster his squad.
Jacob Ramsey looks to set to be that player, as it’s only a matter of time before he officially completes his £40m move from Aston Villa.
And the news of Ramsey’s impending arrival looks to have put to bed the rumours surrounding our interest in another attacking midfielder, as Crystal Palace now look set to swoop in.
According to The Athletic’s [David Ornstein](https://x.com/david_ornstein/status/1956670681136955886?s=46), Crystal Palace have entered the race to sign the highly-rated Bilal El-Khannouss from Leicester City.
It’s claimed the Eagles will approach Leicester over a deal, knowing a replacement will be needed should Eberechi Eze seal a move to Spurs, which looks increasingly likely as of last night.
With Eze still linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, Oliver Glasner’s side are wanting to ensure they’re not left without an attacking option.
We had previously been connected with a move for the Moroccan, and he would have been around £10m cheaper than Ramsey thanks to his relatively low release clause.
But the boyhood Villa fan is a good fit for our current team, thanks to his European experience, running power and ability to replace the injured Joe Willock.
When fit and available, Eddie Howe’s first choice midfield obviously picks itself: Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali.
From there, the young duo of Lewis Miley and Jacob Ramsey can deputise until Joe Willock returns from injury.
However, you’d have to imagine that Willock’s time on Tyneside could be over in the next 12 months, where we will need to bring in another more-reliable midfielder.
So the question must be asked of whether or not we hold off on showing any further interest in El-Khannous? We seriously lack an attacking midfielder in our current set up, and at £25-30m, that’s effectively a free hit in the modern market.