Why Karl Toko Ekambi would be a good fit at Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have once again endured a poor start to the Premier League campaign and the Eagles find themselves 12th in the standings, four points clear of the drop zone.

Roy Hodgson, the Eagles boss, has plenty of issues to sort out regarding the quality and depth of the squad and dipping into the January transfer window would definitely help his cause.

Crystal Palace clearly need more depth in their attacking options to compete with the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Andros Townsend, Christian Benteke and Jeffrey Schlupp. But first and foremost, they need a reliable goal-scorer.

Even though the south Londoners sprung a surprise earlier this season by defeating Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford, one cannot hide the fact they are once again dependent on Wilfried Zaha.

That being said, it would make real sense for Palace to revive their interest in Villarreal star Karl Toko Ekambi and try signing him when the transfer window reopens in January.

Karl Toko Ekambi, 27, who was linked with a move to Selhurst Park earlier this year, had joined Villarreal last summer after finishing the 2017-18 season with 17 goals and six assists for Angers in the Ligue 1.

The Cameroonian had a decent debut season at Villarreal as he managed 10 goals and two assists in 34 La Liga games. And he has hit the ground running in 2019/20 campaign, bagging two assists in six games.

At 27, Ekambi has perhaps entered the prime years of his career and a move to the Premier League could be tempting. Tall, rangy and an impressive runner with the ball, the Cameroonian international is also capable of playing on the left and would offer Hodgson both a strong presence and versatility in the final third.

The former Angers man possesses blistering pace and loves to play off the shoulder of the last defender, whilst being a clinical finisher when presented with a goalscoring opportunity. He is a tough player and can play with his back to his goal while holding up the ball and bringing his teammates into the game.

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Ekambi has already demonstrated that he is capable of scoring goals of all kinds and Hodgson may hope that he would provide some much-needed composure in front of goal.

Verdict

Thus, Palace should go all out to sign Ekambi from Villarreal in January. The 27-year-old’s pace, power and work-ethic should make him a perfect fit for Hodgson’s counter-attacking system at Selhurst Park.