The resurgent Germany international who could fill Crystal Palace's creative void
Crystal Palace have been linked with a summer transfer move which could help them to move on from Eberechi Eze...
Crystal Palace supporters have had kinder summers. Not only have they been cruelly ejected from the Europa League by UEFA – pending an appeal – but wealthier teams are starting to circle key players such as Eberechi Eze, Marc Guéhi and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Replacing those that leave will be extremely challenging.
The possible departure of Eze represents perhaps the single greatest immediate problem. A year after Michael Olise left for Bayern Munich, Palace will be losing the second of their great creative threats and the best bridge between attack and midfield in the current squad. Should Chelsea or Arsenal succeed in their pursuit, then Palace will likely be well remunerated, but finding a way to replace Eze’s output on Palace’s budget will be difficult, to say the very least.
Which makes stories connecting Crystal Palace with a bid for Germany international Nadiem Amiri all the more intriguing – and recent updates from the German press have hinted again that a move could be possible. But can Amiri, a deeper-lying sort of playmaker, really fill the void that could be left when Eze leaves, and how likely is he to move to Selhurst Park this summer?
Why Nadiem Amiri is at the top of Crystal Palace’s shortlist
Just a few years ago, the 28-year-old midfielder’s career seemed to be going backwards. He lost his place at Bayer Leverkusen, failed to impress on loan at Genoa and while the rest of his team were on their way to an extraordinary ‘invincible’ season, Amiri was being shopped to Leeds United after starting just one league game.
The £6m move to Leeds fell through, reportedly in part due to family reasons, and he moved to Mainz instead in January 2024. He missed his chance to spray some champagne in Leverkusen, but did begin the process of rebuilding his reputation having been cast aside by Xabi Alonso.
The move to Mainz seemed to act like a shot in the arm, and in his first full season he was instrumental to their charge towards the European places, scoring seven league goals, providing five assists and demonstrating a quite superb passing range – all enough to earn him a recall to the Germany squad more than four years on from his last cap.
Amiri is not an attacking midfielder or winger like Eze or Olise before him, but signing him would indicate that the plan was to use refocus Crystal Palace’s attacking system around his qualities. Amiri is Mainz’s creative fulcrum, and would likely be used as such at Selhurst Park too.
Not only is he blessed with excellent vision and the accurate passing to back it up, but he’s comfortable surging forward with the ball at his feet, making him a real headache for the opposition – close him down, and he has the class and control to sprint past you and open up space. Stand off, and you give him the opportunity to pick out a pass. Neither tend to end well.
Next to Adam Wharton (who seems likely to remain at Palace for another year, at least), signing Amiri would give Palace a midfield who were dynamic, dangerous and far more than just a stable base for possession. They would have two midfielders who can carve defences apart from deeper areas in the side at the same time, and pick up some of the creative slack that will be created when Eze leaves.
Will Amiri move to Crystal Palace this summer?
The big question is whether the German is likely to move this summer, just over a year after agreeing a deal with Mainz which ties him to the club until 2028. That remains entirely unclear.
Reporting from early June first suggested that Palace were interested in Amiri alongside fellow London side Fulham, with the story originating with The Daily Mail, but the trail went cold for some time – only now has Amiri’s name made its way back into the gossip columns.
Bild reported this week that Amiri had switched agent and signed with Pini Zahavi, often a sign of a player about to start pushing for a transfer, and while Bild’s own reported suggested that they though a move was more likely to take place next summer, it would be relatively unusual for a player to sign with a new agency without something more imminent in mind.
There’s no suggestion that Palace have made a formal offer, nor any real indication as to what Amiri might cost – although it’s fair to assume that it would be far more than the £6m that Leeds nearly paid a couple of seasons ago. Had that deal gone through, Daniel Farke’s side might have been back in the Premier League a little more quickly.
Fulham may well prove to be stiff competition for Amiri’s signature when the time comes, too, although Palace can at least still point to the fact that they can offer European football – even if it is only the Europa Conference League – and have finally found cause to build a trophy cabinet, which may make them a more alluring destination.
Time will whether Amiri is planning to force his way out of Mainz now, or whether he is simply setting up for a long game or pushing for a fresh contract, which remains eminently possible – but if he is indeed on the market, he could prove to be an exciting and dynamic solution to the problems that could be posed by this summer’s transfer window.