Crystal Palace beating West Ham and shelling out £20m to sign this 24-year-old creative powerhouse is just what Hodgson needs

Why Crystal Palace must beat West Ham to sign Bradley Dack

According to a report in Sun Football, Premier League clubs West Ham United and Crystal Palace will go head-to-head for Blackburn Rovers’ Bradley Dack. The 24-year-old is having a great season in the Championship, simultaneously attracting interests from clubs in top-flight.

The report suggests that the Hammers and the Eagles will test Rovers’ resolve with bids of around £20m for the attacking midfielder. While the former is trying to beef up their creative options chiefly due to an injury to Manuel Lanzini, the latter simply require a creative spark in the final third.

Here’s why Palace should beat West Ham to sign this 24-year-old talent:

The Eagles’ need is a must

Crystal Palace have made an underwhelming start to the season, lying 14th in the table with 12 points from 14 games. Even though they are three points clear of the drop zone as of now, the season still has 24 more games to go. With the way things can change in the Premier League, nothing is guaranteed.

However, one thing is clear – the Eagles lack in the creative midfield department. Roy Hodgson plays the old-fashioned 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 but he doesn’t have a No. 10 to deploy. As of now, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend play as a front two but they are not as comfortable centrally as they are in wide areas.

Furthermore, their creativity from attacking midfield has been close to nothing. Max Meyer was signed in the summer to perform this role but the German has struggled to really impact thus far. Hence, it is imperative from the club’s viewpoint to sign a player who can enhance that area of the game.

Bradley Dack has had a dream season with Blackburn in the Championship. He has scored 9 goals and supplied 3 assists in 17 appearances, mostly playing as a No. 10 behind the striker. Furthermore, his key passing rate of 1.2 epitomizes his propensity in the final third.

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The 24-year-old possesses an array of qualities on the pitch, such as dribbling past defenders, picking out the right passes and shooting when given time and space. He is an all-around package and would be an ideal addition to the Palace squad. Hodgson can then play the 4-4-1-1 formation with Dack as a No. 10, possibly with Zaha leading the team in a flexible front line.

Stats courtesy – Whoscored.com