Crystal Palace have been rather inconsistent this season, as they currently sit 14th in the Premier League.
Roy Hodgson’s biggest problem has been in front of goal, with only Burnley and Sheffield United scoring fewer in the league.
Therefore, the former England boss will look to fix that problem this month by signing a new centre forward.
Crystal Palace transfers latest – Borja Mayoral
TEAMtalk recently revealed that Crystal Palace are keeping an eye on Borja Mayoral of Getafe.
The Eagles could attempt to sign the Spaniard this January, with the move far from impossible.
It is rumoured that a fee of around £20m would be enough to secure his services this month.
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ByLuke Randall Borja Mayoral’s style of play
It is well known that Palace will attempt to bring a centre forward into the club this month, with their main target reportedly being Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal.
Football journalist Ben Jacobs confirmed that the Eagles’ interest is true and that they could offer £30m for him. However, the transfer guru also mentioned that unless the Gunners find a suitable replacement, they won’t be willing to let the 24-year-old leave.
With that being the likely outcome of the saga, Palace could look to switch their attention to Mayoral and forget Nketiah, with the former being an attainable and more realistic target.
The Real Madrid youth star has been on fire this season in La Liga, netting 12 goals in 19 matches, with only Jude Bellingham scoring more in the division. The striker played a vital role in Getafe’s survival last season, and he has been instrumental in the side’s climb up to eighth this campaign.
The table below displays Mayoral’s statistics from this La Liga season and how he compares to his positional peers.
Goals
0.71
Top 9%
xG
0.52
Top 28%
Shots total
1.96
Bottom 80%
Goals/shot
0.24
Top 12%
Passes completed
17.77
Top 18%
Progressive passes
2.78
Top 12%
Passes into final third
1.90
Top 9%
Mayoral has featured in the front two of a 4-4-2 this season, and his output in front of goal has been terrific. His goals-per-game ratio is superb, and he is a clinical "finisher,” as per footballer writer Ben Mattinson, which is highlighted by his low shots, goal/shot ratio, and overperformance of xG.
This is the exact profile that Palace have been missing this season, as the Spaniard has netted more than Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard combined (eight).
The ex-Roma player is also an intelligent striker who can drop into pockets in between the opposition midfield and defence to pick up the ball. His relatively high passes completed prove that, while his progressive passes and passes into the final third show that he has the ability to start attacks as well as finish them.
Overall, Mayoral is exactly what Palace needs, and he’s even outperformed Nketiah by seven goals this season. Hodgson should definitely look to bring the Getafe star in before another Premier League club snaps him up.
