Premier League outfit Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in the services of Spezia striker M’Bala Nzola.
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Premier League side Crystal Palace are interested in securing the services of 26-year-old striker M’Bala Nzola from Serie A outfit Spezia.
The 26-year-old joined Spezia from Trapanbi in 2020, initially on loan before making the transfer permanent. While he has not always been impressive, Nzola is enjoying a fantastic start to the 2022/23 campaign. A return of five goals in nine games has brought him on the radar of Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles have enjoyed an indifferent start to the campaign and need to get back to their best to improve on last season’s 12th-placed finish. Palace have won just one game in the Premier League this campaign, and a major reason for it has been an underperforming frontline.
The Eagles have found the back of the net in the league just eight times in the first seven games. To put it into context, only five other teams in the English top flight have found the net fewer times. Crystal Palace are thus languishing in the bottom five almost a quarter way into the campaign.
Wilfried Zaha with four goals is the club’s top scorer this season. That is more than all of Crystal Palace’s strikers combined. The lack of an infallible goalscorer is apparent, and Nzola has now appeared on Crystal Palace’s radar. The Angolan might not be the best option out there but at €10 million, is well worth the risk.
The 26-year-old is yet to play for a top team, and a move to Selhurst Palace could be his opportunity to shine. Nzola is a good dribbler but is lacking in other departments. His inability to hold up the ball and the lack of awareness shown to beat the offside trap at times, make him a liability against top-flight opposition.
Whether he is a late bloomer or not, a lot will depend on whether Palace are ready to take a punt on his talents. While taking a risk is called for, it could prove to be a fatal mistake should he fail after potentially arriving midway through the campaign.
Patrick Vieira cannot afford to put all his eggs in one basket in terms of Nzola. Crystal Palace have enough strikers for depth and should do all they can to bring in a consistent goalscorer. Whether Nzola can be that man is debatable.
