Yeremy is to be Palace's next signingplaceholder image
Yeremy is to be Palace's next signing | Getty Images
What Crystal Palace fans can expect from upcoming signing Yeremy Pino.
Crystal Palace are closing in on the signing of Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino, with the Eagles finally set to add a key signing after a quiet summer transfer window so far. Oliver Glasner has been critical of the club’s lack of action this summer, but they are now set to get their hands on a gem, and for a steal of a price.
Palace are expected to pay around £26million plus add-ons for Yeremy, who has already had a hugely impressive career at the age of 22. The winger has already won a Europa League title and two Nations Leagues with Spain, winning 15 senior caps so far.
But what can Palace expect from the young star? Fortunately, I’m in a good place to tell you. While I cover London clubs, I’m a Villarreal fan. I have followed the club for well over a decade and having lived in Spain for the last four years plus, I have been a season ticket holder since rocking up on the Spanish East coast.
Naturally, I have seen Yeremy play live countless times, and I have seen him play on TV just as much. So, what do Palace fans need to know about their soon-to-be next signing?
The price? It’s a steal
Let’s start with the positives. Palace are getting an absolute bargain here. I’m not entirely sure why Villarreal have been so friendly with the price - although it is not clear what the add-ons entail. Having said that, the Yellow Submarine tend to facilitate players who want to move on providing they have earned the right - and Yeremy has.
Now, Yeremy is not a starter currently under Marcelino, and we will come back to the reasons for that, but in terms of talent and potential, this is a great price.
The 22-year-old burst onto the scene as a youngster and played a ridiculous number of games off the bat. He was the youngest-ever Spanish player to reach a European final when Villarreal beat Manchester United in 2021, and he played a big role in that run, starting the final.
He has regularly been involved in the Spain camp throughout, although he did miss out on the Euro 2024 squad.
In terms of his playing ability, Yeremy is not rapid, but he is plenty quick, and his technical ability is super. He can keep the ball in a phonebox, and tactically he is a manager’s dream. He works well in pretty much any system, something he has proven under multiple managers at Villarreal, and he puts in plenty of work defensively, which managers love - including Unai Emery, who adored him.
The concerns and the reason Yeremy is allowed to leave
Despite his clear talent and huge potential - keeping in mind he is still only 22 years of age despite playing so much football up to this point - Villarreal are deciding to sell Yeremy, and there is always a reason.
He is adored at Villarreal, but he has become expendable in some form. In a dream scenario, the Yellows would keep him, there is no doubting that, but if they look at their best XI heading into a Champions League season, Yeremy is likely on the bench, or he would at least be in and out.
Nicolas Pepe has been a sensation since joining the club on a free transfer last summer, and Tajon Buchannan has really impressed head coach Marcelino, spending last season on loan and joining on a permanent deal this summer. The Canadian scored a hat-trick over the weekend and arguably has a better final product than Yeremy.
If there is one area the Spaniard needs to improve, it is his final product. Systematically, he is a dream of a winger to have in your team, but he needs to provide more in the way of goals and assists. He has usually provided around 10 goal contributions in all, which isn’t at the top level, albeit he is still a developing player.
Ayoze Perez was also superb for Villarreal last season, and when he is back fit, it will be Perez and Karl Etta Eyong - or a new striker signing - up top, with Gerard Moreno deputising. Buchannan and Pepe will be the starters out wide, and Ilias Akhomach is back from injury to provide another option. There is also likely to be a new signing there to replace Yeremy.
So, why has Yeremy gone from a clear starter under Emery to an in-and-out type under Marcelino? Injury is the answer. As is too often the case with these young players who play so much football early on, a serious injury followed for Yeremy.
He lost pretty much the whole of the 2023/24 season to a ruptured ACL, and it wasn’t easy for him to rediscover his form after such a serious injury. He didn’t lose a step, he is still young enough to bounce back from an injury like that.
But Yeremy struggled for form in the first half of last season, even when starting 25 of the 34 games he played. But he did rediscover some form in the second half of the season, with six of his 14 goal contributions last season coming in the last seven league appearances.
He didn’t look himself in the first half of last season, but we really saw flashes of the old Yeremy in the back-end of the campaign, with his confidence returning to aid a superb collective end to the season that secured Champions League football.
That should be the hope for Palace, that Yeremy can keep up that momentum as he enters a new challenge in the Premier League - and it will be a challenge. The 22-year-old is small and slender, so it will be an adjustment, but for all the work he does, particularly when playing in his best position, which is more of a left midfielder than a left winger, Glasner is going to love him. Very few managers don’t.
Friendly tip - He doesn’t go by Pino, only Yeremy.
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