Why Crystal Palace should avoid signing Taras Stepanenko

According to a report from the Sun, Crystal Palace are considering a January move for Shakhtar Donetsk‘s Taras Stepanenko, with the Ukrainian giants willing to sell the midfielder in January.

Taras Stepanenko, 30, has been playing for Shakhtar Donetsk since he completed a switch from Metalurh Zaporizhya in 2010. He was a target for Crystal Palace during the summer transfer window. But the Eagles have now been informed he will be allowed to leave the Ukrainian champions when the mid-season transfer window begins, the report adds.

The Eagles boss Roy Hodgson will be keen to bring in reinforcements in January following his side’s shaky start to the season. The south Londoners have picked up just eight points from their first six games in the Premier League.

Hodgson brought in some players over the summer to strengthen his squad. Amongst the players that arrived at Selhurst Park, two were central midfielders—James McCarthy and Victor Camarasa.

Crystal Palace were already strong in the midfield department and the additions of McCarthy and Camarasa have further beefed up the squad.

As far as Taras Stepanenko is concerned, he is a solid defensive midfielder who shields the back-four, standing in front of them and breaking up the opposition play.

He is a tenacious player who has demonstrated his excellent ability in the middle of the park throughout his career. His key attributes include his phenomenal strength and power in the midfield.

The Ukrainian international is comfortable on the ball and can read the game extremely well in the middle of the park. Due to his brute force, the 30-year-old is often successful in shrugging off defenders with ease and poise. However, he has a tendency of picking up cards due to his combative style of play.

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As experienced as Stepanenko is and the qualities he would bring to a team, Palace aren’t exactly in dire need of midfield reinforcements. Hodgson has a plethora of options to select in the engine room and that should make the acquisition of Stepanenko totally pointless.

In fact, the Eagles should target a clinical striker due to their lack of quality in front of goal and the potential exit of Wilfried Zaha in January.

Verdict

Hence, Palace should avoid signing Stepanenko from Shakhtar and aim to sign a couple of attacking players to help them beat the drop this season.