The £30m Crystal Palace transfer target who could be a genius summer signing

Crystal Palace bring to mind a space shuttle burning up as it reenters the Earth’s atmosphere this summer; it wasn’t so very long ago that they were soaring high among the stars, and now, as the new Premier League campaign hurtles towards them, they are at risk of having vital bits of equipment peel off and vanish all over the place.

Michael Olise was the first to go, joining Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial £50.8 million or so, but by no means will he be the last Eagle to face all kinds of leering interest over the coming weeks. England duo Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi are both high on the wish lists of several heavy hitting Premier League outfits, while a number of their Selhurst Park teammates played well enough towards the back end of last season to justify more than a second glance.

Arguably, however, no departures would hurt more than the dual exit of Olise and Eze, a pair who contributed 21 goals and 10 assists between them in the top flight last term; equivalent to 54.4% of the Eagles’ entire ‘goals for’ column. Replacing those kind of presences ain’t easy.

Palace will give it a ruddy good go though, and if reports from various outlets are to be believed, they have already had a bid turned down for Arsenal outcast Emile Smith Rowe. The 23-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent times, and has tumbled down the pecking order as a consequence. Last season, he started just two Premier League matches, and the common consensus has been that he desperately needs to leave his boyhood club to reignite his ailing career.

To that end, Fulham are also keen, and discussions are said to be ongoing behind the scenes at both clubs as they decide whether or not to pester Arsenal with an improved offer in the coming days. For what it’s worth, Palace probably should.

Smith Rowe is a fine talent who has largely been a victim of circumstance and misfortune. Before his dire run of fitness issues, the versatile attacker had sneaked his way into the senior England squad, and there is no reason to suggest that given an extended run of minutes at the highest level, he couldn’t rediscover the form that got him there. Capable of playing through the middle or out on the left, the playmaker would be a decent replacement for either Olise or Eze, and with 80 Premier League appearances to his name already, he knows the top flight well.

The understanding is that Arsenal are holding out for around £30 million, which admittedly, is not an insignificant amount of money, but Smith Rowe has the potential to be worth every penny, and sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate.

If Palace are to lose some of their best players this summer, then they are going to have to find smart and effective ways of ensuring a smooth transition into a new era under Oliver Glasner. Bringing in players like Smith Rowe would go a long way towards ensuring happens.