Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke has been linked with a number of big Premier League teams this summer including the likes of Chelsea and Everton, but the Belgian international has come out and said that he is happy at Selhurst Park.
The 26-year-old made 40 appearances for the Eagles last season after joining the club from Liverpool last summer. He scored 17 goals during those games with the player paying back his transfer fee with goals.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against West Brom, he said: “I’m very happy here and I want to be a part of the project of the manager and I’m looking forward to the new season,” he said “I want to perform and score more goals to help the team to where they want to be.
“Since we came back from pre-season I’ve not even thought about it [moving clubs] because it’s obvious that I want to be here and play – there is a World Cup coming up as well and it’s important that you play for your club and perform if you want to be a part of that group.”
Benteke also spoke about adapting to the new 3-4-3 formation which new Palace manager Frank de Boer is trying to implement at the club, a formation that was first seen when the Eagles faced Liverpool in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
“We have been working with him [De Boer] for a few weeks and it’s obvious he wants to play in a certain way,” he said. “Now we are trying to adapt to that way and be ready for the next game.
“It’s going to be a different kind of game to the one we played against Liverpool because it’s going to be more physical because of the height in their team.
“I think we have to be prepared because the Premier League season is going to come around quickly and we really have to be sharp and fit. I think with the squad that we have and the players that are coming, we have to be really ambitious and try to get in the top half of the league.”
