As Bilal El Khannouss offers clarity on his next steps in football, Leicester City fans can have no real qualms with his decision to join Crystal Palace.
The Moroccan star was a standout performer in a miserable Premier League campaign for Leicester City last season, meaning it would always be difficult for the Foxes to keep him this summer.
El Khannouss got off to a brilliant start this term, too, registering two assists in the win over Sheffield Wednesday to show the Championship exactly what he’s capable of.
We learned recently that El Khannouss is keen to join Crystal Palace before the transfer deadline, and it has to be said, that’s a pretty shrewd decision by the 21-year-old.
Bilal El Khannouss of Leicester City
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images
Bilal El Khannouss can flourish at Crystal Palace
El Khannouss had been linked to the likes of Leeds United, Everton, West Ham, and Newcastle United this summer, but it’s looking like Palace have won the race because, as per sources at TBR Football, he wants to play under Oliver Glasner.
It’s thought any deal would involve a fee of around £30m, after the release clause for El Khannouss expired over the weekend.
First of all, from a Leicester City perspective, that’s not a bad fee at all for a player who has just one season in the top flight. Yes, he has plenty of promise and will probably end up being worth more than that, but Leicester are not really in a position to cash in on that potential right now given their need to sell players.
For Palace, they’re getting a highly creative young player who can flourish on the biggest stage, for what could end up being about half the amount they sell Eberechi Eze for. To come out of this summer in profit and with El Khannouss in the squad leaves the Eagles in a good place.
But most importantly, it’s clear the player himself has made a well-informed decision, most likely based on two things: One, he knows Palace play the kind of football under Glasner that will serve his talents best, and two, that they are a club who know how to nurture young talent before selling onto bigger clubs in the future.
You only have to look at the career paths of Eze and Michael Olise to see that Palace is a breeding ground for Championship stars taking their next steps.
If El Khannouss has ambitions of playing for a top six club and competing in the Champions League, he could do far worse than switching to Palace now and knowing deep down that this is a stepping stone for his next move in years to come.
That’s not to detract from Crystal Palace at all. They’ve done remarkably well to establish themselves as a solid Premier League club, and just won the FA Cup and Community Shield; there’s every chance El Khannouss will win silverware if he does make the move to Selhurst Park.
But, longer term, El Khannouss can reach the very top if he knuckles down with his new club, learns from those around him, and further platforms his talents in an expansive, exciting young team.
Bilal El Khannouss in action for Leicester City during a Premier League game
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Leicester City must find perfect replacement for Bilal El Khannouss
Leicester’s start to the season has been far from inspiring. Having narrowly beaten a long-suffering Sheffield Wednesday side, Marti Cifuentes saw his team lose to Preston North End this weekend.
The departure of El Khannouss would be a massive blow to Cifuentes’ plans for the season, and while the emergence of Jeremy Monga is something to be excited about, the Foxes will need a new creative outlet to lead them to glory this term.
They could look at someone like Eduard Spertsyan, who has been linked to Southampton. There are doubts as to whether English clubs would do business with a Russian club like Krasnodar, but there’s no doubting the 25-year-old’s talent.
There’s also Kamory Doumbia at Brest, Giannis Konstantelias at PAOK, or if Leicester are feeling really ambitious they could try to lure Finn Azaz away from Championship rivals Middlesbrough.
Most Leicester fans will fear the prospect of no replacement coming in, though, with the club merely banking the El Khannouss money to satisfy any lingering PSR concerns. If they do, the Foxes can kiss promotion goodbye.