Crystal Palace have been handed a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga as Patrick Vieira looks to strengthen his forward line in the January transfer window.
What’s the story?
The Eagles were heavily linked with the 24-year-old throughout the summer following Andros Townsend’s departure, but no formal offer ever materialised.
Now though, according to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Boga is expected to exit the Mapei Stadium either in the winter window or at the end of the current campaign after failing to agree terms on a new contract.
The report states that: “Jeremie Boga will soon have to start thinking about his future. The contract with the neroverdi club expires in 2023 and the entourage of the former Chelsea winger has already made it known that they are not interested in an extension.
“Therefore, the farewell between January and June is likely, with several teams following the Ivorian”.
Patrick Vieira must swoop
With Boga seemingly available to the highest bidder, Vieira must swoop for the Ivory Coast international over the coming months, finally adding a natural right-winger to his first-team squad.
The likes of Jordan Ayew and Michael Olise has been filling in on the flanks in the opening weeks of the current campaign, but both players prefer playing through the middle, meaning it’s a position that must be addressed sooner rather than later.
And Boga could be the ideal candidate to do just that. The £18m-rated gem came through the Chelsea youth academy, and although he never made a senior appearance for the Blues, he is well remembered by their coaching staff.
His former mentor in west London Michael Beale lauded his ‘unique’ talents in a previous interview, saying: “The most unique talent and I’m talking in a window of being 13/14 and he just beat the other team possibly on his own is a young boy called Jeremie Boga.
“He just beat teams on his own, such a lovely boy. I thought wow, this boy is a supreme talent. He can stop and go, and over three or four yards, he can just drift past you.”
After a series of loan spells as Rennes, Granada and Birmingham City, Boga eventually departed Chelsea on a permanent basis back in 2018, joining Sassuolo in search of regular game time.
Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength, scoring 18 goals and providing ten assists in 99 appearances for Alessio Dionisi’s charges.
Therefore, Vieira must carefully consider bringing Boga back to the Premier League in order to continue his ongoing revolution at Selhurst Park, adding to the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Conor Gallagher and Olise as Palace look to begin an exciting new chapter in their history.
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