Crystal Palace could bring a ‘special player’ to the Premier League this summer with Sochaux wonderkid Skelly Alvero potentially on his way to Selhurst Park.
Whoever finds himself at the helm of Crystal Palace this summer – be it an Arne Slot, a Paulo Fonseca or perhaps Roy Hodgson on a new, more long-term contract – the foundations of a potentially enthralling Eagles side will already be in place. Just begging to be built upon.
In Ebere Eze, Michael Olise, Chieck Doucoure, Joachim Andersen, Noahirou Ahamada, Chris Richards and Marc Guehi (should he stay amid interest from elsewhere), Palace have the spine of a what is already a potentially very strong Premier League side.
And 21-year-old Alvero, one of French football’s breakthrough talents in recent months, would fit in nicely at a club who have made it their mission to construct a new-look squad around a throng of precocious young talent.
Will Crystal Palace sign Skelly Alvero?
Fabrizio Romano believes that Alvero could leave Sochaux for around £3 million this summer.
A colossal presence at 6ft 8ins; the versatile midfielder would become the Premier league’s tallest outfield player, overtaking Wolves’ sky-scraping centre-forward Sasa Kalajdzic.
“Skelly is an atypical player. He arrived with us as a striker before falling back to number ten,” Sochaux legend Piere-Alain Frau tells the Ligue 2 website.
“He is a special player since he measures at more than two meters. Despite his large size, he has the technical ability to play in small spaces. He also has the qualities that go with his height.
“This appeals to a lot of people. We haven’t seen the best of Skelly Alvero yet. When he lets go, it will be something else again.”
Romano believes that Crystal Palace – who have won five league games out of a possible nine since Hodgson returned to replace Patrick Vieira – will face competition from a Borussia Monchengladbach outfit who look set to part company with former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke.
Alvero’s arrival would add further energy and youth to a midfield moving away from the James McArthur – Jeffrey Schlupp era.
“He can have a great career,” Frau adds. “He’s a boy with personality, who knows what he wants. He has ambition and he is good in his project.
“He may have struggled a bit to get down to work at first, but since he got there (in Sochaux’s first XI), the progress has been amazing. We wish him a lot of success because he has great potential.”
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