Crystal Palace have stepped up their interest in Brentford’s Ollie Watkins with an £11 million bid and it’s a deal that would represent very good business from the club.
According to Football Insider, Roy Hodgson’s side are eager to complete a deal having been long-term admirers.
While he’s not a direct replacement for Wilfried Zaha, he’s a player that could be brought in to help the fill his void if he does leave the club.
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Palace have the almighty task of trying to replace Zaha this summer should he leave and getting Watkins in for around £11 million would be a very sensible and smart piece of business in today’s market.
With 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions last season, Watkins has shown on more than one occasion he is ready to step up in the Premier League.
Unlike Zaha, he played the majority of his football on the left, but he is capable of playing on the right and as a central striker too, making him a great versatile option for Palace.
As one of the Championship’s best attackers during his time at Brentford, it would be fantastic value to bring him in without taking up a large chunk of their budget.
Replacing quality with quantity is not always the best practice, but Palace would be able to reinvest the Zaha funds across the squad and the right reinforcements could guarantee Premier League survival.
