Why Crystal Palace signing Scott Banks would be good for the future

According to Daily Record, Crystal Palace are set to bid for Dundee United starlet Scott Banks despite the fact that they could get him for as little as £200,000 if they wait and sign him in the summer.

Palace’s urgency in trying to sign him might be due to the fact Arsenal and Manchester United are also watching the teenager closely, as per the report.

Banks, 18, came through the youth ranks at Linlithgow Rose BC and Dundee United. He was then sent to Scotland’s third-tier side Clyde FC for four months and upon his return to Dundee, he made his debut for the senior side against Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish League Cup in July 2019.

He has been promising whenever he was given time to play with the Tangerines’ first-team and as a result, Roy Hodgson’s side tried to land him in the last window but couldn’t agree on a fee and eventually the deal didn’t go through, as per the report.

Meanwhile, Palace are placed 9^th in the league after enduring a mixed season and have managed to stay in the upper half of the table. But nothing can be said of their consistency and the manager has to build a team that is capable of getting the best results.

Jordan Ayew has been their top-scorer so far with five goals to his name in the league without a proper back-up. Hodgson has been deprived of depth in the squad especially on the wings, with Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend being the only options available at the manager’s disposal.

And with Zaha being linked to Chelsea and Bayern Munich, it would cause more trouble. Therefore, the English tactician should bring in reinforcements and build a team for the future.

In that case, Scott Banks would be the best option as he is just 18 and can be seen as a future prospect.

The report also suggests that Banks has fallen out of the picture at Dundee United and has not played since he backed out of a new contract at Tannadice Park.

The 18-year-old is capable of playing as an attacker on both sides of the pitch and is also a brilliant attacking midfielder. If he continues to perform well with the youth teams, his chances may come sooner than expected.

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Verdict

Therefore, Crystal Palace must sign the Linlithgow-born talent at the earliest before other big teams get their hands on him. He could go on to lead their attack in the future.