Crystal Palace have been linked with a move to sign Eberechi Eze and could potentially make a summer swoop for the QPR star, but where would he fit in?
The Daily Mail claim that Palace are interested in a deal for Eze, who is said to be valued at around £20m by the Championship club.
If Crystal Palace did sign the midfielder from QPR, Roy Hodgson would need to find a way to integrate Eze into his system or adapt his favoured formations to suit the 21-year-old.
Palace’s most used formation in the Premier League this season has been the 4-5-1. This consists of two natural wide players, Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha, along with three dependable central midfielders, Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur and Chiekhou Kouyate. Eze is not a natural winger or a box-to-box central midfielder, so he does not naturally fit into this set-up.
Hodgson could look to tweak the formation and make it a 4-4-1-1. He could be able to keep the two natural wide players and still have two dependable midfielders who are able to defend in their own third, whilst also being able to get forward as well. This could allow Eze to play in the number 10 role behind the lone striker, whether that be Jordan Ayew or someone else, and use his creativity to be an attacking threat for Palace.
Eze has produced 12 goals and eight assists for QPR in the Championship this season, showing that he is able to deliver in the final third. If Palace could get him the right service in gaps between the thirds, he could great chances for Zaha and Ayew in the opposition’s box and help to improve Palace as an attacking outfit.
