Crystal Palace’s next January transfer could be a shock move for a £20m Everton starplaceholder image
Crystal Palace’s next January transfer could be a shock move for a £20m Everton star | Getty Images
Crystal Palace have been linked with an unexpected deadline day bid for an Everton winger who may have plenty to offer the Eagles.
Crystal Palace are among the Premier League sides expected to be busy on transfer deadline day, with the club on the hunt for a new striker and set to sign Wolves’ Jørgen Strand Larsen – but they could also have another more surprising signing in mind, according to a new report.
Journalist Peter O’Rourke claims that Palace are “exploring a move” for Everton’s Dwight McNeil, who had until this season been a staple in the Toffees’ side since his £20m move from Burnley back in 2022. Would McNeil give Palace the attacking impetus they need to turn their recent form around?
Could Crystal Palace sign Dwight McNeil before the transfer deadline?
O’Rourke’s brief social media report doesn’t include any details of a potential transfer fee, but McNeil certainly seems more likely to be available now than he might have been six months ago.
Last summer, McNeil was coming off perhaps his best campaign for Everton, even if injuries limited the number of appearances he was able to make – he scored five goals, produced six assists, and became a dynamic threat for an Everton side that was otherwise lacking in creativity and flair in the final third.
This season, however, he has slipped down the pecking order with the arrivals of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall partly responsible for the former Burnley man getting just seven league starts since the start of the season.
Nor has he been at his best when he has been given opportunities – McNeil hasn’t scored yet this season and has just one assist to his name in the league. A change of scenery looks more necessary than it did just a few months ago, and Everton could well be tempted to sell a player who has fallen down the pecking order, with the club still restricted by the financial errors of their previous owners.
With little clarity on the details of the rumoured move, it’s difficult to assess how likely it is that a deal gets done before the deadline passes at 7pm on Monday, but would McNeil still be a useful signing for Palace despite his poor form?
Why Everton’s McNeil could be what Palace need – if the price is right
It’s worth noting that while McNeil’s output in the final third may have fallen away this season, his underlying statistical performance remains largely unchanged – he is still completing dribbles and passes and creating shooting chances at a similar rate to that he managed in previous seasons in Everton.
That suggests that plenty of the dynamism he demonstrated during his best spells of form on Merseyside remains intact, and that’s something Palace could use with their attack beginning to misfire in recent weeks.
Palace have a small squad and lack depth options on the left wing, an area in which McNeil can happily operate, while his versatility means that he could play on both flanks if required. A winger isn’t as desperate of a need as a defender or a striker (assuming Jean-Philippe Mateta completes his proposed transfer to AC Milan) but neither would it be a bad idea to sign one – it has, after all, been nearly two months since Palace last scored more than one goal in a Premier League match, and some fresh ideas seem necessary to get things going again up front.
At his best, McNeil is superb at creating and exploiting space, has the vision to pick difficult passes into the box and is willing to shoot from awkward angles, often to good effect.
In short, he has many of the qualities Palace might need to ensure that they stay well clear of the relegation battle, and if a deal was cost-effective – something that may be the case given that the winger only has 18 months left on his contract with Everton – then this could easily be a shrewd deal for them to make. Whether O’Rourke’s report proves to be accurate or not remains to be seen, however.
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