When Christian Benteke was brought into Crystal Palace, he was seen as a long-awaited ‘saviour’ of sorts. The man whose goals will help propel the Eagles to the next level.
While his goal return is decent, nine goals in 24 Premier League appearances (although some may argue they’d want more from a £30m striker), Palace still find themselves at the wrong end of the table looking down rather than up.
Alan Pardew was sacked and Sam Allardyce was brought in to aid Palace’s survival bid but his presence hasn’t sat well with Benteke it seems.
The Telegraph note that the Belgian striker in not happy with Palace’s long-ball tactics since Allardyce’s arrival which have limited opportunities for Benteke to find the net with just one goal since the former England manager took over at Christmas.
Benteke had a visible falling out with Andros Townsend after the 1-0 win over Middlesbrough last weekend because the winger didn’t pass to him earlier in the game, with ‘Boro ‘keeper Victor Valdes having to play the role of peacemaker.
It’s believed that the 26-year-old is growing increasingly disillusioned with life at Selhurst Park and will consider his future at the end of the season.
Reports surfaced during the January transfer window that Allardyce was open to offers for the Belgian, who rejected a lucrative move to China to stay in English football. Allardyce was forced to deny those claims but the writing appears to be on the wall that there isn’t a long-term future between the two.
West Ham could be tempted into a summer move for a man they once coveted, while there is considerable interest from La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A.
Chelsea are a wildcard in the Benteke stakes but they’re not willing to offer him a starting role with Diego Costa at the club.
