Why Ante Rebic could be the man to turn Crystal Palace into a top side
Ante Rebic plays in the German Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt. While his best position is as a second striker, playing just in behind the centre forward, manager Adi Hutter often deploys him as part of a 2-man strike force alongside either French youth international Sebastien Haller or the 21-year-old Luca Jovic.
While they are often seen shuffling between all these strikers, Rebic is the one who has made the least number of appearances among them this term.
This can be frustrating for a striker who hasn’t been shy in front of the goal either. He has scored 5 so far this season from 12 appearances. In 9 of the 12 games, Rebic has started next to Haller or Jovic as a striker.
He can even be deployed as an attacking midfielder down the middle or on the flanks. He is an excellent dribbler of the ball and shows a certain degree of pace as well. His finishing and poaching skills in the box are good, thanks to his amazing reactions, and he has a rocket of a shot in his right boot.
A recent report published on Sky Sports claims that Crystal Palace are lining up moves for a multitude of international strikers including the Croatian star. Their search for a striker became the top priority when the plan of signing Dominic Solanke from Liverpool broke down even after the player had undergone his medical, according to Daily Mail.
Eventually, Palace did not proceed with signing the former Liverpool man who joined up with Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth. This means that Hodgson has to find a top striker to sign before the close of the winter window.
While January is not the easiest period to bring in top players, Palace don’t have an option but to go all guns blazing to try and complete a striker swoop before the transfer window ends. With just Wilfried Zaha as a dependable striker option, it is essential that they find a back-up option for the position.
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While Christian Benteke has been injured for far too long, Jordan Ayew has failed to make any sort of impact at Selhurst Park. Rebic could be the right kind of striker to play alongside talented players like Townsend and Zaha.
His pace and direct nature will help him strike up a quick understanding with the duo and he would also get more playing time than he has been getting at Frankfurt.