Crystal Palace have been linked with Antalyaspor striker Haji Wright recently, and his arrival at Selhurst Park could allow Patrick Vieira to finally ditch Jean-Philippe Mateta.
According to journalist Tom Bogert, the Eagles – along with Brentford and Southampton – are interested in the 24-year-old as a result of his impressive performances in the current Turkish Super Lig campaign.
The versatile attacker boasts ten goals in just 16 league appearances this term, with WhoScored awarding him a strong 6.94 rating for his performances.
Considering that this would rank him as both the top scorer and best performer had he produced the same displays in a Palace shirt, it is easy to see why Vieira would be keen on bringing him to Selhurst Park.
Wright also caught the eye with his performances for the USA at the World Cup in Qatar recently, scoring against Netherlands in the round of 16 with an audacious flicked finish.
Back when he was first establishing himself with Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga, the American earned plenty of praise from academy coach Norbert Elbert, who said: “I always describe Haji as a bag of surprises. He’s yet to have consistency in his game. He has a lot of pace on and off the ball, has no weaker foot, his dribbling is good and he is a threat on goal.”
The young attacker now seems to have found that consistency with Antalyaspor this season, and given Palace’s worrying form in front of goal since the World Cup, Vieira could do a lot worse than bringing the American striker to Selhurst Park this month.
The Eagles have managed just four goals in their past seven games, with the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Jordan Ayew and Mateta all failing to fire under the 46-year-old, with the latter having been linked with a move to Turkey this month.
Since signing for the Eagles, the former Mainz marksman has managed just nine goals in 54 appearances, including a woeful return of one goal in 19 senior appearances this term, so it is surely time that he is offloaded for good.
Vieira needs a regular source of goals, and if he is to take a punt on Wright in the final week of the transfer window, it could duly see Mateta jettisoned after his underwhelming form in recent months.
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