Four Crystal Palace players Arsenal should try to sign

Four Crystal Palace players Arsenal should try to sign

By Jonny Bray
Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has surpassed expectations and excelled in his role as manager of Crystal Palace after experiencing a tough start under the World Cup and Premier League winner.
He has taken The Eagles to new heights in this campaign, helping his side reach an FA Cup semi-final while also performing brilliantly in the league.
Having had an average squad age of 30.7 last season, Vieira, along with chairman Steve Parish and Sporting Director Dougie Freedman, signed six players with an average age of 22.5 last summer.
To undertake such a significant squad overhaul while also replacing an experienced manager like Roy Hodgson with an unknown entity like Vieira is nothing short of remarkable.
And so, with that in mind, and ahead of Arsenal's game against Palace at Selhurst Park, let's take a look at which Palace players the Gunners should try to sign this season.

Michael Olise

Michael Olise oozes confidence and ability.
You only need to watch the attacking-midfielder turned right-winger once to see that he is destined to play at the very top of the game.
Of course, he is easy on the eye, but what has shocked fans up and down the country this season is his ability to pitch in with goals and assists.
In the Premier League alone, the 20-year-old has scored twice and assisted another five in 22 appearances, with a large portion of them coming off the bench.
He was also the driving force behind much of Palace's early FA Cup run, showing his quality against lesser opposition in Millwall, Stoke City and Hartlepool United.
Olise would be a perfect fit for Arteta's side, and to make things even better, there are whispers among Palace fans on Twitter that he may have a surprisingly low release clause.

Eberechi Eze

After recovering from a ruptured Achilles, Eberechi Eze finally looked back to his best in Palace's 4-1 FA Cup win against Everton.
He ran the show in midfield and provided some brilliant moments of skill to carve Frank Lampard's side up.
He set Wilfried Zaha through, which in turn allowed the former Manchester United man to set up Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal in that game.
But he also showed he can play in an all-action midfield role rather than just behind the striker.
Now that Arsenal can be confident that the injury hasn't seriously hampered his potential, the Gunners should make their move.

Marc Guéhi

Marc Guéhi's England call-up was well deserved after a brilliant season at the heart of Palace's defence.
He is a great defender, but his real talents lie in his ball distribution and calmness under pressure.
He's been a crucial cog in Palace's system this season, and at 21, he is already captaining a Crystal Palace side with its fair share of leaders and experienced professionals.
If Arsenal fans were being honest, they would admit that the former Chelsea Academy star outperformed Ben White for England last week, so it's clear he could offer some stiff competition to him and Gabriel.
And even if he doesn't force his way into the starting team, Manchester City and Liverpool have shown that you need at least three elite-level centre-backs to compete at the top of the table.

Jean-Philippe Mateta

Fans of the Eagles have been chanting 'Boom boom boom boom, Mateta's in the room' all season.
The French striker started the campaign as a bit of an outcast at Selhurst Park, often being criticised for his inability to win a header despite being six foot three.
He also looked wasteful in front of goal. A trait Palace fans were sick of seeing among their strikers.
But under Vieira, Mateta has been a revalation.
His record in the league may not blow many people away, four goals and one assist in 21 appearances, but he has been crucial to everything good Palace have done in the second half of this season.
He works tirelessly in defence, has drastically improved his link-up play and has shown he can finish consistently since January.
And in the cup, he has been lethal, scoring twice in four games.He is only 24 and continuing to improve, and if he remains on this trajectory, he could be worth a punt.
Photo Credit: Getty Images

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